Forestcare

Updated 12 March 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

At the time of this inspection the service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. The current manager was in the process of applying to be registered and became registered by the time this report was published. A registered manager is a person who is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. It is a requirement of the provider’s registration that they have a registered manager.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 10 members of staff including the manager, the interim assistant director, the field service team manager and seven emergency response officers. We reviewed a range of records. These included six people’s records and associated documentation relating to the care provided. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff training, supervision and appraisal logs. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We received feedback from eight people who use the service, 18 members of staff and one health and social care professional.

Updated 12 March 2020

About the service

Forestcare is a domiciliary care agency. They provide personal care, occasionally and if needed, as part of their emergency responder service. The responder service includes staff visiting people in emergencies and providing whatever support is indicated, which may include personal care.

They provide the service from their 24-hour, 365 days a year telecare response centre based in Bracknell. They also offer a range of telecare solutions to individuals to provide support for them in their own homes. This support includes, emergency assistance when someone has a fall and cannot get up; rapid response for an unplanned discharge from hospital; emergency support when another agency has not been able to provide planned support and help when unforeseen circumstances occur where the family has other commitments.

Not everyone using the service receives personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. At the time of this inspection there were 1506 people signed up to the responder service. During the seven months between 1 June 2019 and 31 December 2019 staff visited 263 people in response to an emergency. Out of those visits, personal care was provided 56 times.

People’s experience of using this service

People were protected from the risks of abuse. Recruitment processes were in place to make sure, as far as possible, that people were protected from staff being employed who were not suitable.

People received effective support from staff who were well trained. They told us staff had the training and skills they needed when providing their support. Where people required healthcare support, staff were skilled at obtaining the appropriate support without delay.

People's rights to make their own decisions were protected. They 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.

People were treated with care and kindness. They were consulted about their support and their wishes and views were recorded in their support plans. People were treated with respect and their dignity was upheld. This was confirmed by people who provided feedback.

People's right to confidentiality was protected and they received support that was individualised to their personal preferences and needs. People said staff and management responded well to any concerns they raised. One person said they had not had to raise any concerns but felt the service would take action if they did.

People benefitted from a service which had an open and inclusive culture. They thought the service was well-led. Staff were happy working for the service and people benefitted from staff who felt well managed and supported.

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 6 September 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.