All inspections: Redspot Homecare (Essex) Limited

As part of our inspection we used an expert by experience to contact people using the service. We attempted to ring 28 people and were able to speak with 19 people and three relatives. People we spoke with and their relatives were generally happy with the level of care and support provided by the service. One person told us, 'They are all nice carers. The word is care ' they really do.' One relative told us, 'If I need a day off I only need to tell them and they arrange cover.' Some people but reported improvements could be made in some areas. For example one person said, 'They are never on time. They don't log in or out. Your question about reliability is a big fat 'no'.'

We saw that plans for managing risks to people's health, safety and welfare were insufficient to enable staff to minimise any identified risks.

We found that there were systems in place to help reduce the risk and spread of infection.

We saw that staffing levels had recently improved following recruitment. There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs.

We found that there were some systems in place to assess and improve the quality of service provision however they had not identified some issues we found during our inspection.

We saw that some people's care records were not reviewed meaning the provider could not be assured that the information used day to day by carers was up to date and accurate.

PePeople told us that their care was personalised and that they were able to explain to care staff how they wanted it delivered.

People we spoke with were positive about the provider and the care staff. One person had experienced poor service but we were told that issues had been identified and resolved and the care experience had improved.

One relative told us that care staff treated their relative respectfully. Another relative commented, "They've [staff] all been very good. They occasionally don't tell you if someone's going to be late." However the same relative expressed that this problem was an exception and would be due to an individual member of care staff rather than a wider problem.

People told us that their care needs were always discussed with them. One person told us they felt safe, "Definitely can't speak too highly, they treat me like their [parent]."

People with whom we spoke confirmed they had been involved in the assessment process and their care needs had been discussed with them. They had also been involved in the decision on how they wanted their care provided. They told us that the carers telephoned them if they were going to be late. People said that the carers were professional in their manner and that they felt treated with respect. People using the service told us that they felt well treated. They told us that they were happy with the agency staff.

Comments we received included 'I have regular carers and they are diamonds', 'Can't praise the staff high enough', 'The staff are lovely' and 'They are top of the lot.'

Archived: Redspot Homecare (Essex) Limited

All Inspections

26 November 2013

During a routine inspection

12 February 2013

During a routine inspection

4 August 2011

During a routine inspection