Archived: Melody Care

The agency had two registered managers, one of whom was also the provider. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We found that Melody Care was an efficient and effective agency. People who received services from them spoke highly of quality of care. Both people and their relatives praised the kindness and compassionate nature of care staff who they frequently described as “Going the extra mile to support them.” People, relatives and staff who had experience of other agencies told us that “This company compares so much better.”

Care staff worked in geographical teams which meant that most people benefited from the support of a regular team of staff. People told us that care staff “Know me very well” and that they received consistently good care. Care staff said that their jobs were made easier by being able to support a regular group of people whose needs and preferences they knew well.

People told us that they felt “Very safe” as a result of the care they received and several relatives commented that their family members were able to remain living in their own homes because of the care they received. The service had appropriate systems to safeguard people from the risk of harm or abuse and staff were knowledgeable about how to keep protect people and keep them safe.

The care philosophy for the service stated ’We know that if we are to provide the highest possible standard of care ….we must…recruit very special people with a great attitude …and train them thoroughly.’ We saw that the agency placed a lot of effort into the recruitment, selection and training of its staff. The outcome of this was reflected in the consistently positive comments we received about care staff. People described staff as “Absolutely brilliant” and “Well trained.” Similarly relatives told us “My family member receives excellent care from them” and “I totally trust them.”

The service had a comprehensive programme of training and staff told us that they had the training and support to undertake their roles. Staff demonstrated to us that they were aware of their responsibilities and knew how to deliver high quality care. Where people were supported with their medicines, this was done safely and appropriately.

The service was responsive to changes in people’s needs and tailored their services accordingly. People were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care and supported to be as independent as possible. People were assisted to maintain good health and supported to access appropriate healthcare services. One relative told us “They have helped my family member to improve their health and we have managed to reduce his care needs from four calls a day to two calls a day and it’s mostly down to their help.”

Melody Care had good systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of its services. People were regularly asked for their feedback and satisfaction surveys sent to both people and staff were used to identify areas of concern or improvement. Where people raised complaints, these were investigated and attempts made to resolve issues to the satisfaction of people.