Caring Connections

Caring Connections is a domiciliary care agency. The service provides personal care to people living in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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. The were 47 people receiving personal care at the time of the inspection.

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

There were processes in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and harm. Risks people faced were identified and control measures were in place to keep people safe. The recruitment of staff was safe, and people were supported by the right amount of suitably skilled and experienced staff. Medicines were used safely. There were systems in place for reporting accidents and incidents and learning from them.

An assessment of people’s needs, and choices was completed and a care plan on how to meet their needs was developed. The plans provided clear instructions for staff on how to provide effective care and support to people and they were kept under review. People’s needs were met by staff who received good support and the training they needed for their role. People’s dietary and healthcare needs were understood and met.

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.

People were treated with kindness and their privacy, dignity and independence was promoted and respected. Staff had formed trusting and positive relationships with people and their family members. People openly expressed their views and opinions and they felt listened to.

Care plans were personalised, they included peoples expressed wishes and preferences about how their care and support was to be provided. People told us they received personalised care and support. People knew how to complain, and they were confident about complaining if they needed to. Complaints were used to improve the service.

The registered manager and provider promoted a positive and person-centred culture. There was good partnership working with others to meet people's needs and to further develop the service. Staff were acknowledged for their work and they felt well supported and valued. The quality and safety of the service was continuously monitored and improvements were made in a timely way.

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

Rating at last inspection

This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered with us on 13 October 2018.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as the service had yet to be rated since it registered with the CQC on 13 October 2018.

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.