Platinum Healthcare Services

People's experience of using the service and what we found The service had been through a period of instability due to management staff leaving and staff sickness. Although improvements had been made to staffing, the registered manager and director continued to cover calls in response to staff sickness. This impacted on the time they had available to manage the service, which they recognised. However, there was no impact on the quality of care people received.

Staff received safeguarding training to help them recognise potential signs of abuse or neglect and were confident reporting their concerns. Risks to people's health were assessed with guidance in place for staff to help manage those risks. Staff, people and their relatives told us their care was not rushed and that staff had time to get to know people and their needs. Staff were trained in how to administer medicines safely and infection prevention and control. The provider and staff were committed to improving the service and continuous learning, to identify and drive improvements.

People's needs were assessed before they began using the service. Staff were given an induction and training to ensure they had the skills and experiences needed to carry out their roles effectively. When people needed support with their eating and drinking, information was included in care plans which described the type of support needed. The service worked with other health professionals and agencies to improve people's outcomes. 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.

The provider recognised the importance of using people's past histories to support them and were proactive in supporting people's specific needs relating to their protected characteristics. Spot checks and audits were used to monitor the safety and quality of care people received. Continuous staff development to improve people's experiences of care were valued and promoted.

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