22 August 2019
During a routine inspection
SureCare Hereford is a service providing personal care to people in their own homes. People supported include younger and older people who may live with dementia, mental health needs, physical disabilities or sensory impairments. Fifty-eight people were in receipt of care at the time of the inspection.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
There had been improvements in the guidance provided to staff, so they could provide care which supported people’s safety. People’s risks were clearly identified, and staff were supported to understand what action they needed to take to address people’s safety needs.
Staff knew how to recognise abuse and were confident the manager and senior staff would assist people, should any concerns be identified. People received their care at the times planned. People were supported by staff who took action to reduce the likelihood of them experiencing infections. Systems were in place to take learning from any incidents.
There had been improvements in the way people’s capacity was assed. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The provider and registered manager gave us assurances improvements in the recording of decisions taken in people’s best interests would be further embedded.
People’s care needs and preferences were assessed before they started to receive care. Staff used their knowledge and skills when caring for people and were supported to provide good care through induction and training programmes, which reflected the needs of the people they supported. People, relatives and family friends were confident staff would support people to see other health professionals, and to have enough to eat and drink, so they would enjoy the best health possible.
People told us they liked the staff who supported them and found them to be considerate and kind. Relatives and family friends told us staff knew people well and had developed good relationships with the staff caring for them. Staff encouraged people to make their own decisions about their care, and promoted people’s rights to dignity, independence and privacy.
People, relatives and family friends were involved in planning people’s care, and said their views were listened to. Staff recognised when people’s needs changed and supported people to ensure these were met. Systems were in place to take learning from any complaints, to prevent reoccurrences. People’s wishes at the end of their lives had been established. The provider told us they planned to further enhance opportunities for people wishes to be explored, in case of sudden death.
People, relatives and family friends were positive about the way the service was managed and were encouraged to make suggestions about the care provided. There had been changes to the senior management team, and staff told us this had brought about improvements in people’s care and their support. Staff knew how they were expected to care for people and had received compliments regarding the quality of care provided to people. The manager and provider checked the safety and quality of the care, so they could be assured people’s needs were met. The manager understood their responsibilities to drive through improvements to people’s care, and development of the service was informed by work undertaken with other organisations.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 23 August 2018).
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk