21, 22 August 2014
During an inspection in response to concerns
Is the service safe?
People using the service expressed no concerns about the care staff that helped them. Private Home Care UK Limited (Leicester) had a recruitment policy in place but the procedure was not always followed when new care staff were recruited. Proper checks were not always carried out on the applicant's background, qualifications and suitability to work with vulnerable people. That meant people were at risk of receiving care and support from care staff that may not be safe or suitable to work.
Is the service effective?
People using the service and their relatives of people whose family member used the service told us they were satisfied with the care and support they received. One person said 'My carers are always on time.' A relative whose family member receives care and support said 'Always the same carers, always on time and know exactly what to do. Never had any concerns that carers were not doing things properly.'
Care staff understood the needs of people they supported and told us that they could refer to the care plans kept in people's own homes.
Most care staff received appropriate induction and on-going training for their job roles but this was not the case for all care staff. Qualifications and training records were not up to date and did not reflect the training care staff had completed. There was no mechanism to ensure care staff were supported to keep their knowledge and practice up to date and their on-going development was supported by the provider. That meant people who used the service were at risk of receiving unsafe care and support because care staff's practices and training was not always monitored or received planned updates.
There were records available that showed staff received support through supervisions and appraisals.