Thornton Homecare Ltd

We found that systems were not in place to manage safety and quality effectively. Complete, accurate and contemporaneous records were not kept to ensure good governance and to analyse any patterns and trends within the service.

There was an ongoing issue with some staff members not being paid wages in a timely manner. This had led to staff leaving and others considering their positions. There was a concern that not enough staff would be available to people should a high number of staff submit resignations.

At the previous inspection we found not all staff had been recruited safely and that one staff member had commenced in their post prior to having all the correct checks in place. During this inspection, we found action had been taken to improve this process and all staff had been vetted appropriately prior to their start date.

Previously we found some people using the service had raised that they were not notified when staff were going to be late for a visit. This was not raised as a concern during this inspection.

We found systems and processes related to safeguarding were established and operated effectively to investigate, immediately upon becoming aware of, any allegation or evidence of such abuse. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood processes to report concerns.

Care plans were detailed, and person centred. People had been involved in their compilation and updating. Staff were aware of information held within care plans and risk assessments. Risk assessments were in place.

People felt safe when staff attended to them and confirmed staff wore PPE (personal protective equipment) when entering their home and supporting them.

People did not experience missed calls nor a high number of late calls.

Staff worked in partnership with external healthcare professionals to ensure people's healthcare needs were met.