Home Instead

Home Instead Senior Care (Ipswich, Woodbridge & Felixstowe) is part of the Home Instead Senior Care franchise which delivers care to people within the United Kingdom and in several countries across the world. The service provides personal care to people such as assistance with bathing, dressing, eating and medicines. The staff who support people wish to be known as 'caregivers' and therefore we have used this term throughout this report.

The provider of Home Instead Senior Care (Ipswich, Woodbridge & Felixstowe) was a company working under the franchise of Home Instead. The service had been compliant at previous inspections but at a different address. The directors of the company were a husband and wife team who were fully involved in the day to day running of the service. They were supported by a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons.' Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Home Instead Senior Care (Ipswich, Woodbridge & Felixstowe) was exceptionally well led. There was visible and effective leadership in an open and transparent culture that resulted in an effectively organised and well run service. The provider and the registered manager were able to demonstrate how their robust quality assurance systems had sustained continual development and improvement at the service. They were clear about their expectations relating to how the service should be provided and led by example. They were supported by a management team and caregivers that were remarkably passionate and fully committed to delivering the highest standard of care to each individual. Morale was extremely high, at all levels within the service

Without exception people and their relatives were extremely complimentary about their experience of using the service. They were full of praise about their caregivers and told us that they were incredibly kind, compassionate and respectful towards them. They described how they trusted and felt safe with the caregivers, who knew them well and encouraged them to be as independent as possible. They shared examples with us of how the caregivers consistently provided them with personalised, tailored care; taking the time to ensure every small detail of the care provided met the person's individual needs and wishes.

Everybody we spoke with said that they would highly recommend the service.

All the staff teams were highly motivated, enjoyed their jobs and understood their roles and responsibilities. They were proud of where they worked and told us they felt valued and respected. They shared positive experiences about the way the service was managed, how they were continually supported and encouraged to professionally develop.

Caregivers were highly skilled and competent to meet people's needs. They demonstrated an enhanced understanding and knowledge of living with dementia. Exceptional person-centred training systems in line with current practice had been established. These took into account the different learning styles and needs of all the staff providing them with a holistic training package.

The high quality of the service's training had been recognised recently in the Suffolk Care Awards 2017 as winner in the 'excellent training' category and was highly commended in the category for innovative approaches to service for dementia in the community.

People and or their representatives, where appropriate, were continually involved in making decisions about their care and support arrangements. As a result people received tailored care and support which was planned and delivered to meet their specific needs.

Detailed care plans were in place. These covered all aspects of a person's health and personal care needs, how they wanted to be supported, their daily routines and preferences. The care plans were regularly reviewed and updated. Where changes were identified peoples' care packages were amended to meet their changing needs. The service was extremely flexible and responded positively to people's requests where possible.

People were safe; caregivers knew what actions to take to protect them from abuse. The provider had processes in place to identify and manage risk. Regular assessments had been carried out and care records were in place which reflected individual needs and preferences.

Recruitment of caregivers was done safely; checks were carried out to ensure they were fit to care for people using the service. There were sufficient numbers of caregivers to meet people's needs. Where people required assistance with their medications, safe systems were followed.

Where caregivers and or the management team had identified concerns in people's wellbeing there were systems in place to contact health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment. Where required people were safely supported with their dietary needs.

Caregivers listened to people and acted on what they said. They understood the need to obtain consent when providing care. They had completed training in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Procedures and guidance in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) were followed which included steps that the provider should take to comply with legal requirements.

People's feedback was valued and acted on. Their comments, concerns and complaints were appropriately investigated and responded to and used to improve the quality of the service.

Robust systems were in place to assess and monitor the service, identifying any areas where improvements were needed to ensure a high standard of quality care was provided. The provider and registered manager demonstrated an open, reflective leadership style working in partnership with other stakeholders to drive

continual improvement within the service and to raise awareness of the needs of people living with dementia within the local community. Feedback from health and social care professionals cited collaborative and highly effective working relationships.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found