Good Oaks Home Care - Dorchester and Weymouth

Good Oaks Home Care - Dorchester and Weymouth is a care at home service that provides support and personal care to people in their own homes. 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. At the time of our inspection 29 people were receiving support with personal care. Good Oaks Home Care - Dorchester and Weymouth was registered with CQC in October 2021.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the management of the service and the registered manager. They all felt the service was well run. Quality assurance systems needed to be embedded to monitor key aspects of the service. Provider oversight had not focused on actions that had been identified as necessary to ensure safety. We have made a recommendation about this.

Sufficient numbers of staff were deployed to meet people’s needs. Staffing had been a challenge and this had impacted on the registered manager’s ability to develop the quality assurance systems needed as the service grew. The registered manager had a plan to address this alongside a sustained recruitment campaign.

People told us they received the right care and support from skilled staff who knew them well. Staff had not completed all the training the provider had outlined as necessary for their roles. The registered manager developed a plan to address this.

Staff were committed to delivering person-centred care. This approach was promoted by the senior team. People told us the care they received made them feel safe and they were confident they were well looked after. Staff knew people well and understood their roles and responsibilities.

Risks to people had mostly been assessed and personalised care plans supported staff to help people manage these risks effectively. There were reviews scheduled to update people’s risk assessment and care plans. Staff supported people to access any equipment they needed to ensure their homes remained safe. People received their medicines safely.

People received personalised care as described in their care plans. Staff understood the outcomes that mattered to people and worked to ensure they achieved these.

People told us they received the help they needed and that staff were kind and caring. People and relatives also told us staff were respectful.

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 had identified a need to improve the recording around decision making.

People received the support they needed to eat and drink safely and access to healthcare was supported.

People and relatives knew how to raise any concerns and were confident these would be listened to and acted upon. The registered manager spoke with people and their relatives frequently. There had been no formal complaints made.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 6 October 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation about the provider’s governance of the location.

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.