Archived: The Mary Knowles Homecare Partnership

The Mary Knowles Homecare partnership is a domiciliary care provider. The service supports older adults living in their own homes in and around Oxfordshire.

A single inspector carried out this inspection. the focus of the inspection was to answer five key questions: is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.

If you want to see evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

This is a summary of what we found.

Is the service safe?

The service was safe. People had risk assessments in place and these were regularly reviewed.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe. One relative told us, "They feel safe, completely trusting." There were systems in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. Staff we spoke with had received safeguarding training. We found they understood their responsibilities and knew how to report any concerns.

There were effective procedures in place for the recruitment and selection of staff. We spoke with staff who were new to the job and receiving an induction. They told us they had received training which was thorough and gave them the confidence to do the job well.

Is the service effective?

People were supported by a service that was effective. People with complex needs were supported by the service. The service also supported people in need of end of life care. Staff received specialist training to meet individual needs. For example one person was provided with a new hoist and staff received training form the occupational therapist. Relatives we spoke with felt supported by the service. One relative told us, “They are very supportive. They have never let us down.”

We looked at four care records and saw that people had an individual care plan which set out their care needs. People’s needs were assessed and people told us they were involved in their plans of care.

Assessments identified what was important to people. For example one care plan identified the importance of family relationships to the person and how care workers could support this.

Where people needed support from health professionals the provider arranged this. The provider had supported people to access specialist equipment to promote their independence.

Is the service caring?

The service was caring. People were supported by caring staff. People and relative’s we spoke with were complimentary about the service. One relative told us, “We are really happy. We have complete trust in them.”

Staff felt respected and valued. One care worker told us, “There is respect for everyone. We respect the clients and they respect us.” Another member care staff told us, “We are nurtured and supported.”

Is the service responsive?

The service was responsive. People’s needs were assessed and regularly reviewed. Where needs changed this was reflected in the care plan. One person told us, “They arranged a new hoist as they noticed a change.”

People felt comfortable to contact the registered manager if they had anything they wanted to discuss. People we spoke with had a contact number they could use at any time. One person told us, “I call the office and they come out straight away if I need them.”

Is the service well led?

The service was well led. During our inspection we looked at the quality assurance systems that were in place. The information we saw showed us that the service was monitored on a consistent basis to ensure that people experienced safe and appropriate support and care.

Care staff were well supported. One care worker told us, “There is an openness, we can raise anything and we will be listened to.”

People’s views were sought and listened to. A customer survey had been completed. We saw that the results showed people were happy with the service. People knew how to make complaints. Complaints had been responded to in line with the services policy. Outcomes from complaints were shared to with care staff to ensure learning and prevent further incidents of a similar nature occurring.