About the service:

Carewatch (Sheffield) is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of this inspection it was providing services to around 300 people.

People’s experience of using this service:

We found that people received a good service. The provider ensured care was delivered in a safe way, and had systems in place to monitor the care provided. People told us they received a good standard of care, and told us the staff were kind and respectful. Every person we spoke with told us staff were caring in their approach, and told us they felt their needs were understood. One person’s relative told us: “Yes, make [my relative] laugh. Which is a task in its self.”

People reported very little experience of their care calls being missed, although some told us they weren’t always at the times they would prefer. On the whole people told us if staff were running late they would be informed about this, but a small number told us they didn’t receive this communication.

People told us they felt the staff were caring. They told us they got on well with staff. They all described their relationship with staff as positive, and explained that having a consistent staff team was important to them. They said with the exception of sickness and holidays the provider was usually able to ensure that people received care from a small, consistent staff team.

Staff received training which was relevant to their roles. Staff we spoke with told us the training was plentiful and appropriate to their roles. A lot of training was provided in house, which meant it could be tailored to the needs of people using the service.

People’s needs and risks to their safety were assessed, and detailed plans of care drawn up. People told us they felt safe and staff had been trained to recognise and report suspected abuse. A complaints procedure was in place and any complaints were taken seriously and investigated appropriately.

People were supported in maintaining good health, and staff liaised with external healthcare providers where appropriate to ensure that care was provided in a way that met people’s needs.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of care provided and further areas were being developed. People were predominantly positive about the care provider and management team and said they were approachable and supportive. One person said: “The task is really difficult, staff joining and leaving, and for what they have to do, they do a good job”

More information is in the full report

Rating at last inspection:

Good. The report was published in October 2016

Why we inspected:

This was a scheduled inspection based on the last rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

There was a manager at the service who was registered with CQC. 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 legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Our inspection was discussed and arranged with the registered provider four days in advance. This was to ensure we had time to visit and contact people who used the service and speak with the registered provider, manager and staff.

The feedback we received from people was good. People who used the service expressed satisfaction and spoke highly of the registered provider, manager’s and staff. For example one person told us, “I am definitely happy with the care and support I receive. They are not just my carers, they are my friends. I look forward to them coming to see me. They are a good bunch that come to see me.” Another person said, “I am very happy. I can’t fault them in any way.”

There were systems in place to ensure that risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were identified and addressed. The registered provider and staff team were well aware of their responsibility to protect people’s health and wellbeing.

A full and thorough recruitment process was followed which helped to ensure staff employed at the service were of good character and able to carry out their role to the required standard.

There were sufficient numbers of care workers available to keep people safe. Staffing levels were determined by the number of people who used the service and their individual needs.

Where people required support to take their medicines, this was provided safely and in line with current legislation.

People who used the service believed care workers had the right skills and knowledge to support them with their personal needs. We found there was a good programme of training in place for all staff.

Staff told us they were very well supported by the registered provider, registered manager and other staff in the office. They said there was always someone to talk to if they had needed advice or information.

The service followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Code of practice and the principles of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This helped to protect the rights of people who may not be able to make important decisions themselves.

People who used the service told us they liked the staff and looked forward to them coming to support them. Staff were respectful of people’s privacy and dignity.

People’s care and support was provided in a person centred way. Information about how people preferred their care to be delivered was kept under review and up to date.

The service was flexible and responded positively to people’s requests. People who used the service felt able to make requests and express their opinions and views. People told us their views were listened to and where necessary action was taken to improve their experience of the service.

We found the service had a robust process in place to enable them to respond to people’s concerns, investigate them and had take action to address their concerns.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Regular checks and audits were undertaken to make sure full and safe procedures were adhered to.

At the time of this inspection 387 people were supported by Carewatch.

During our inspection visit we spoke with the owner, the registered manager, the operations manager and the quality assurance manager about the running and management of the agency. In addition, two care workers came to the office so that we could talk to them about working for Carewatch.

We telephoned 40 people supported by Carewatch and spoke with them, or their relative about the support provided. They told us that they were happy with the agency. Their comments included, “We are very pleased. Staff are excellent,” “They are reliable, lovely people. We have no problems at all” and “I would recommend them. I’m very satisfied.”

We found that before people received any care and support they were asked for their opinion and agreement to ensure that staff acted in accordance with their wishes.

We found that people's care and support needs were assessed and each person had a written care plan that set out their identified needs and the actions required of staff to meet these.

We found that policies were in place to ensure medicines were handled safely.

The provider had a satisfactory recruitment and selection procedure in place to ensure that staff were appropriately employed.

The provider had an effective complaints system available.

We carried out a routine/scheduled inspection of this service. We visited the office and spoke with the owner, the registered manager and four other office based staff who had different responsibilities within the agency. In addition, three care staff came to the office to meet with us so that we could talk to them about working for Carewatch domiciliary care agency.

Staff spoken with said that Carewatch was a very good agency to work for. They told us that they received good support and training so that they could do their jobs well. Staff told us that they were always given information about people prior to providing support. Staff told us that they felt proud to work for Carewatch, and proud of the quality of care provided.

During this inspection we telephoned six people that received support from Carewatch and spoke with them about their experiences of the support they received.

All of the people spoken with confirmed that they had been involved in discussing and reviewing their care needs. They told us that one of the managers had visited them before support commenced to discuss and agree their support package. People told us that the support they received was personalised to their own individual needs, and they had a copy of their care plan in their home.

Without exception, people spoke very positively about the support they received. They told us that their carers knew them well and supported them in the way they chose and preferred. They said that carers were always polite and respectful. People’s comments included; “They (the carers) are wonderful. They give me the help I need and I enjoy their company.” “I cannot fault this service. I have a good relationship with my main carer. Recently some new girls have visited me; they were all lovely and knew what help I needed.” “I have never had a missed call, they are very reliable.” “My daughter lives away. I have told her she has no need to worry about me. Because of the carers from Carewatch I have more friends than I have had in the whole of my life. I think I matter to them and the carers really are my friends.” People spoken with felt that staff were well trained and understood their needs. They all told us that they felt safe with their carers.