Archived: Burley's Home Care Services Limited

Updated 29 April 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory function. The inspection checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on the 18 February 2015 and was announced. The registered manager was given 48 hours notice of the inspection as we needed to be sure that the office would be open and that staff would be available to speak with us.

The inspection was conducted by two inspectors.

Before the inspection we looked at the previous inspection reports and notifications received by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

The registered manager also completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We visited the agency's office, met with three people at their homes and spoke with the registered manager and a member of office staff. We looked at four people's care plans, daily care notes for three people, four staff recruitment files, the care workers induction and training programme, staffing rotas and policies and procedures.

We also spoke on the phone with an additional four members of staff, four more people who use the service and three relatives.

The previous inspection was carried out in October 2013 and no concerns were raised.

Updated 29 April 2015

The inspection was announced and took place on the 18 February 2015.

Burley’s Home Care Services provides personal care and support to people who live in their own homes. At the time of the inspection they were providing personal care to 46 people.

Burley’s Home Care Services has a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People using the service told us that they felt safe. Safeguarding training and procedures were in place and care workers were able to identify and recognise signs of abuse. Personalised risk assessments in people’s care plans detailed actions that needed to be taken to ensure a person’s safety when care was being delivered.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and there were contingency plans in place in the event that a care worker was delayed or unable to deliver care. The service had purchased a company car for care workers to use, if required, to ensure continuity of care for people using the service.

We found that thorough staff recruitment procedures were in place so that people were protected from the employment of unsuitable staff. Interviews were conducted in order to establish a care workers professional and personal suitability for the role.

Members of staff responsible for the administration of medicines had received additional training to ensure that people’s medicines were being managed correctly.

Care workers understood person centred care and were assisted by management and training to deliver this. Care workers received robust training which made them feel competent in delivering care. Staff had also received training about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and were able to discuss what a change in a person’s capacity meant for their day to day decision making.

People’s nutritional needs were met by staff with an understanding of their preferences and food was prepared to a high standard.

When people’s additional health care needs were identified the registered manager engaged with other health and social care agencies and professionals to maintain people’s safety and welfare.

People told us that their care was provided to a high standard. The registered manager and care workers were able to identify and discuss the importance of maintaining people’s respect and privacy at all times. This included taking time to build a personal rapport with a person using the service to install confidence in their abilities.

Care plans were personalised to each individual and contained detailed information to assist care workers to provide care in a manner that respected that person’s individual needs and wishes. Relatives were involved at the care planning stage and during regular reviews.

The registered manager’s vision and values were communicated to care workers.

Quality assurance processes were in place to gather, capture and then respond to concerns when they were received. People told us that their feedback was welcomed and issues addressed when required.

People knew there was an on call service in an emergency. Care workers felt supported by this service especially at weekends or out of hours.