Archived: Allied Healthcare East Sussex

We found that care plans were personalised, and clearly documented the needs of people. Staff we spoke with were able to tell us about people they were providing care for, and felt that documentation was in place to inform them of people’s care needs. Some of the people we spoke with who used the service told us they were happy with the care that they received. However, concerns were expressed in relation to new care staff or those who had not visited before being unsure of their role. Issues were also expressed regarding cancelled visits, late arrival of care staff and lack of communication regarding changes to people’s visit plans and rotas.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding about how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns. All care staff had received safeguarding training.

Care staff had received supervision and appraisals. Staff told us that they generally felt supported by staff in the local office. However, on occasions they felt pressured to cover extra shifts. This included being contacted on their days off by the ‘on-call’ team, which was not locally based.

There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of service provided. Auditing systems were in the process of being updated, and complaints, accidents and incidents had been monitored and reviewed.

People that we spoke with told us that they received good care from the staff at SAGA Homecare. One person told us "Staff are very good." Another person told us "All of the carers are very nice, I know most of them now."

We asked people about the time staff arrived at the visits. One person told us "They usually arrive within half an hour of the time." Another person told us that on occasions staff may be a bit late, they said "it's not very late, and sometimes the traffic is bad."

People told us they were involved with their care plans and they felt they were able to influence their care. One person told us "Staff always listen to what I say." Another person told us that staff treated them and their home with respect.