This inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector. At the time of inspection 195 people were receiving care and support from Avon Home Carers in their homes. The purpose of our inspection was to answer these key questions; Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service well led? Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, their relatives, and the staff supporting them and from looking at records.
If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.
Is the service safe?
The provider had suitable arrangements in place to protect the health, welfare and safety of the people who used the service.
During the inspection, we spoke with 13 people who used the service and their relatives. We also visited three people who used the service in their own homes.
People's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. We saw that initial assessments of the person's needs were carried out by the registered manager. A further assessment and a care plan were developed by the staff within the home care team. This ensured that staff were able to meet the person's needs and deliver the care safely. One person told us 'I am happy with the staff and I feel safe with the service'.
The provider ensured that confidential information was protected from unauthorised access. The provider kept an electronic record of all communications between staff, people who used the service and other agencies involved in their care. We spoke with two staff who worked in the office. They told us that all the office staff had their own passwords and log in identification. This was to ensure that only people worked at the office could gain access to confidential information.
Is the service effective?
We saw that the provider worked in co-operation with other health care professionals. A record of all contacts with all other healthcare professionals including community mental health teams, general practitioners (GP's), physiotherapy, district nurses and care managers was available.
The assistant manager told us they sought advice from healthcare professionals if they had any concerns about people's general health and wellbeing. For example, if they had concerns about medication, staff would contact the pharmacist.
Is the service caring?
People received care suitable to the needs.
People told us they were satisfied with the care they received and were happy with the way they were treated by the staff. They also told us they were kept involved in the review of their care. One person told us 'the staff are kind and caring'. Another person told us 'the staff are lovely, respectful and we always have a laugh and a joke'.
Is the service responsive?
There was a complaints system available, in case anyone wished to raise a complaint.
The people we spoke with told us they had no concerns about the care they received and they would speak to the senior staff if they had any. One person told us they had raised a complaint in the past and this was resolved satisfactorily by the provider.
Is the service well-led?
The provider had an effective system in place to monitor the quality of the service to ensure people received safe and suitable care.
We saw that the provider had completed regular audits in line with their quality assurance policy. For example, we saw regular audits had been completed for the recording of medicines, care plan reviews, staff training and daily call records.
Staff were properly supervised in their work to improve and develop in their work with people who used the service. The staff we spoke with said they felt supported in their work with people who used the service. One member of staff told us 'I enjoy my job. The manager has an open door policy I can call and talk to them about anything and they listen and help me out'.