About the service: SentriCare is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service was supporting 50 people with personal care in their own homes at the time of our inspection

People’s experience of using this service:

Records relating to medication administration required improvement. We spoke with the management team about this and they told us they would address this without delay. By the end of our inspection, they had already commenced this work.

The provider’s complaints policy required review but everyone we spoke with was happy with the care they received. No-one we spoke with had any complaint about the service. Records showed that any complaints that had been received were minor and had been responded to in a timely and appropriate way.

Staff had person centred information on people’s needs and risks and the support provided was personalised to them and their individual requirements.

People told us they received good care and felt safe with staff. They said staff members were kind, caring and respectful.

People and their relatives confirmed that staff usually turned up on time and provided the support they needed in accordance with the people’s needs and wishes. Records showed that the support people received was consistent and reliable.

Records showed and people told us that where their needs or choices changed, the management team tried their best to accommodate these changes. People and their relatives said that the support provided was regularly reviewed with them by the management team and that their views were regularly sought by the provider on the quality of the care provided.

From the records we viewed and the feedback we received it was obvious that people’s care was planned and well organised.

Staff were recruited appropriately with the required pre-employment checks undertaken prior to employment to ensure staff members were safe and suitable to work with vulnerable people.

Call monitoring records showed that people’s visits were rarely missed and that the majority of visits were made on time. This showed that staffing levels were sufficient to ensure each person’s visit was completed in accordance with their requirements.

Staff were sufficiently trained to do their job role well and supported by their line manager. Staff morale was good. Staff told us they were supported by the management team and the provided. Staff felt they provided a good service to people. The people and relatives we spoke with agreed with this.

The systems and processes in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service were effective in identifying and driving up improvements in the service. The provider and management team demonstrated a good knowledge of their regulatory responsibilities with regards to people’s care and managed the service well.

Rating at last inspection and why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection. At the last inspection the service was good. At this inspection, the service was rated good again.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme.

This inspection took place on 16 June 2016 and was announced.

SentriCare provides personal care for people in their own home. There were 52 people using the service when we inspected and there was 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 legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they felt safe when staff came into their home and were protected from the risk of potential abuse. People had their individual risks looked at and had discussed how these could be reduce with plans in place to manage them. There were enough staff to ensure that people had their calls at the agreed time and the required number of staff. People who required support with their medicines were confident that the staff helped them in receiving the medicines when required.

Staff received regular training so their skills and knowledge reflected the needs of the people they cared for. Staff were supported with regular supervisions with the management team to reflect and discuss how their role and responsibilities were being met. Where people needed support with their meals they told us they were happy that staff came them a choice or provided the assistance needed to enjoy their meal.

Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care. People’s consent was appropriately obtained by staff when caring for them and people who could not make decisions for themselves were supported by representatives or family members. People told us they got healthcare appointments as required to meet their needs.

People knew the staff and felt they provided a personalised service where time was spent chatting while providing care and getting to know them. People felt the care they had received met their needs. They were also supported in maintaining their dignity and encouraged to be involved in their care needs where able.

People’s views and decisions they had made when planning or making changes to their care were listened to and recorded in care plans. People knew how to make a complaint and felt comfortable to do this should they needed to. People were provided with the information they needed should they wish to raise a complaint. People told us they felt that if they had raised any concerns they would be dealt with.

The registered manager was accessible and approachable. People, their family members and staff felt able to speak with the management team and provide feedback on the service. The management team had kept their knowledge current and they led by example. The provider ensured regular checks were completed to monitor the quality of the care that people received and looked at where improvements may be needed.

We inspected SentriCare as part of our scheduled inspection plan. We told the provider we were visiting them before the inspection to ensure they would be available.

In the office we met and spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager, care co-ordinator and four care staff employed by the agency. We made telephone contact with two people that used the service and spoke with them about their experiences. We also spoke with two relatives/friends. People praised the staff that provided care. One person said: "They are friendly, polite, nice girls".

During the inspection we looked at four people's care plans and risk assessments. We saw that the care records were in order and updated to ensure that care was delivered correctly.

We spoke with care staff about how they were supervised and trained to meet people's needs. We reviewed the training and support mechanisms in place for staff. We saw that the agency provided sufficient training to ensure that staff were competent to fulfil their role. A member of staff that we spoke with said: "I am in and out of the office all of the time. They are very helpful, you can phone or pop into the office to have a chat. There is on call as well to help you when the office is closed". Another staff member said: "The management talk to you, they make sure the staff are happy".

We looked at medication administration and safe handling processes and saw that they were well managed by the agency.

During our inspection we spoke with both the acting manager and the deputy manager. We were told that the registered manager had left the service a year ago. We were told that the provider was supporting the deputy manager to become the registered manager.

After the inspection we contacted people who used the service, their relatives and care staff.

People we spoke with told us that they were happy with the standard of care they received and were involved in giving feedback to the service.

One person told us, “The staff are excellent. They are very caring and they do what I ask of them. They respect my preferences and choices”.

Another person told us, “I am very happy. I always have the same carer and have never had any missed calls. If you have a problem they sort it out for you”.

We spoke with a relative who told us, “The staff are wonderful. They know my relative’s care needs. I would recommend this agency”.

Staff we spoke with told us they had appropriate training to undertake their work competently and to keep people safe.

We found that appropriate recruitment and selection procedures had been undertaken by the service.

We found that there was a system for ensuring the ongoing quality assurance within the service.

We found that SentriCare was compliant in the five outcome areas.

People who use the service were positive about their experiences of care and treatment provided by the agency.

They told us that they felt safe and they knew how to raise any concerns. They were confident that they would be listened to and have their concerns acted upon.

People we spoke to told us that they had no complaints. Some people told us that they were disappointed that the agency were unable to attend to them for night time calls and that they had to use other agencies.

They told us that staff were friendly, approachable and caring.

People said:

“One lady helps me to have a shower and I enjoy that”

“The staff always ask if it’s okay for them to do things for her”

“They are very good with dignity”

“I am happy with the care”

“I have a care plan in the cupboard, I’ve signed it and they write in it every time they come”

“They are all lovely, they do a very good job”

“I feel safe when they come to help me”

“They send me surveys and they come out and do spot checks on the staff”

“If I ring up to speak to someone they always ring back”

Care workers told us that that they had training and supervision and that they were supported by the senior staff of the agency. They told us:

“The agency is very good, I wouldn’t leave”

“People are always available to talk to and we are really supported”