Archived: Synergy Homecare - Wakefield

Synergy Homecare – Wakefield is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 78 people.

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.

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

There were systems in place to protect people from the risk of abuse or harm. Risk assessments were in place and were reviewed and updated as required. The recruitment of staff was thorough. Some people told us their call times were irregular and they did not always know which staff would be attending their call. People received their medicines from appropriately trained staff.

Feedback about the management of the service was mixed but people did feel improvement were being made by the new registered manager and care manager. There were systems in place to monitor and review the quality of the service, but improvements were needed to ensure they were robust .

Staff received regular training, supervision and observations of their performance. Where people were assessed as requiring support to eat and drink, this was provided. People were enabled to access other health care professionals as required. 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.

Staff were kind and caring. People were encouraged to retain their independence and make choices about their care. Staff respected people’s right to privacy and ensured they took steps to maintain their dignity.

People’s care records were person centred and provided staff with sufficient detail to enable them to provide individualised care and support. The registered manager was aware of the requirements of the Accessible Information Standard. Formal complaints were logged and investigated.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 5 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.

Sevecare Limited provides personal care to people in their own homes in Wakefield and the surrounding areas. At the time of inspection the agency supported 125 people.

At the time of our inspection the service had a registered manager. A new manager was in the process of becoming registered at the service. 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. The manager had completed their application form and had been given a date for their interview with the Care Quality Commission.

People who used the service and their relatives felt they or their family member were safely looked after and had no current concerns.

We found the systems in place to manage and monitor people’s medication was robust and staff had completed training in management of medicines.

People had care plans in place to manage risks, which staff understood and followed. Staff could recognise abuse and knew what action to take to keep people safe. There were procedures in place to ensure any allegations of abuse were reported and acted upon by the provider.

There were policies and procedures in place in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and we saw decision specific mental capacity assessments had been carried out where needed. Staff had a good understanding of promoting choice and independence as well as gaining consent from people.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. People and their relatives told us they were happy with the care staff.

We found people were provided with care and support by staff who had the appropriate knowledge and training to effectively meet their needs. Staff told us they felt well supported and received regular supervision and a yearly appraisal. Robust recruitment processes were in place and were followed.

People were treated with dignity and respect by staff. Staff knew people well and were able to describe how individual people preferred their care and support delivered. The care plans we looked at were person-centred and reviewed on a regular basis to make sure they provided accurate and up to date information on meeting people’s needs as individuals.

People were supported to maintain their health and were supported with a balanced diet when this support was needed.

People we spoke with were aware of how to make a complaint and felt they would be listened to. There were procedures in place to ensure the provider responded appropriately to any complaints they received.

The registered manager and manager worked with the team of staff, monitoring and supporting the staff to ensure people received the care and support they needed. Staff spoke highly of the management team. There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.