Archived: Heartfelt Care

Heartfelt Care is a care service registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes (domiciliary care). The service specialises in providing a support to people in the local community who live in and around the town of Yeovil. Services were also provided in rural areas and in Ilchester, Sherboourne and Yetminster. At the time of our inspection 40 people were receiving support from the service. Most people were receiving personal care. Some of these people also received help with cleaning or shopping. This part of the service is not regulated by us and was not part of this inspection. The majority of people received regular short support visits at a time to suit them. At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

People received care that was responsive to their needs because all staff involved in the service understood the importance of knowing people and checking that the support they were providing continued to be what the person required.

People told us they felt safe with the staff who supported them. Staff did not let them down. One person said “They arrive mostly on time. If they are running late they call and tell me which is thoughtful”. Another person said “They are most helpful”.

The provider had systems and processes in place to keep people safe and minimise the risk of abuse. Potential new staff were checked to make sure they were suitable to work with people in their own home. We discussed with the provider how some aspects of recruitment could be improved and this was implemented in line with best practice. New staff were able to shadow experienced staff and did not complete visits to people alone until they felt confident.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of regular staff to meet their needs. People received reliable support from a team they knew. Staff usually arrived on time and did not let them down.

People were assessed to establish whether they needed, or required, assistance with medicines. Staff understood the varying levels of assistance that could be offered to people and the importance of clearly recording any medications they prompted or administered to people.

People received effective support from staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. People and their relatives felt confident that staff were trained and competent to deliver the range of care and support required.

People were supported to see healthcare professionals according to their individual needs. If they became unwell staff would contact family members or were able to call a doctor. Staff worked closely with community nurses to meet people’s needs.

People only received care and support with their consent. Staff told us they always checked when entering people’s homes that they wanted care and support that day. They understood people were able to refuse or vary the support they required according to their wishes.

People received a range of services according to their assessed needs and personal preferences. People could choose how much care they received. Some people received two visits weekly to assist with a shower. Other people required several visits a day from two staff to enable them to stay safely in their own homes. Staff knew people and if they were unwell, or if a family member was away, additional visits could be made on a short term basis.

The service was well led by the registered manager, service director and senior carers. Since the last inspection the service had grown and the registered manager had appointed senior care staff who supported their beliefs and values and put people receiving a service firmly at the centre of all they did. They listened to people and took action to ensure the service people received was reliable, flexible and caring.

Further information is in the detailed findings below