Poole care service wins approval of national care inspectors

Home news

May 10, 2017

A national care watchdog has given our domiciliary care service in Poole the seal of approval, with relatives and older individuals praising its caring and attentive team members.

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) report gave Specialist Care at Home service in New Fields Business Park an ‘outstanding’ for how responsive the service was, with an overall ‘good’ rating, following an announced inspection.

The report highlighted that the service was flexible and responsive to people’s individual needs and preferences. It noted that people’s needs were assessed thoroughly before they started to receive a service, and were assigned compatible and suitably skilled staff.

Relatives praised the service their loved one received, comments included: “They do all that they are contracted to do and more,” and “I also know that [person] is more than happy with the carers and care provided. She appears more relaxed and happier than I have seen her for a long time.”

When speaking to the older individuals receiving support from the service, it was noted that the team assisted people with additional tasks such as helping to put on jewellery and styling hair.

Praise was given for the care that each team member showed towards the older people. They commented that care exceeded their expectations and boosted their sense of wellbeing, and it was observed that relationships demonstrated sensitivity, kindness and compassion. Comments from those cared for included: “They have helped change my life in a positive way” and “They’ve been brilliant”.

Sarah Pennington, service branch manager at Specialist Care at Home, said: “We strive to deliver the best care for older people receiving support from Specialist Care at Home, and I’m so pleased our efforts have been recognised by the CQC’s inspectors. Everyone here works incredibly hard to support the people that use our service with compassionate, person-centred care, and to be rated ‘good’ shows just how committed the team is to making a positive difference to people’s lives each and every day.

“I’m extremely proud of our team and I would like to say thank you for their hard work and dedication, which I know is also greatly appreciated by the older people we work with and their families.”

Health and social care professionals also provided feedback and reported that the service focused on working in a person-centred way. Comments included: “[The team]’s expertise in the area of supporting adults with a diagnosis of dementia, I feel has been a contributing factor in enabling adults to remain in their own homes within the community, for a prolonged period”. 

Care plans clearly outlined the level of support required, as well as facilitating independence and encouraging existing hobbies and interests. One person said that a team member took them to the coach station to travel to see family and picked them up on their return. Another older individual was introduced to a memory club by the team member.

It was clear from the findings that people and their relatives valued their relationships with the care team and some spoke about the carers going ‘above and beyond’ when providing care and support. The team went to great lengths to understand the needs and personalities of people in their care, including their personal interests, histories and circumstances.

During the visit, inspectors found that the service provided assistance to older people with meal preparation, eating and drinking. Comments from relatives showed that they were happy with the support they received: “Since Care UK have been involved, [person]’s general health regarding eating and drinking has improved dramatically”.

To assess service standards at Specialist Care at Home, the CQC’s inspector spoke with the service manager, team members, and health and social care professionals on the day of the inspection. They also reviewed the records and procedures already in place at the care home.

Specialist Care at Home has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and support to older people in their homes. The team encourage people to live as independently as possible, and respond to their needs on a case by case basis.