Careline Homecare Darlington

The registered manager discussed how the pressures of the second wave of the pandemic had significantly impacted staff and the service performance. Following the inspection, the registered manager wrote to all the people and relatives to apologise for the reduction in service and explain the circumstances.

A large proportion of the staff discussed the pressures they had faced in recent months because of volumes of additional calls being added to their rota. Staff reported they were finding at times they could not get breaks during sometimes 14-hour shifts. The registered manager outlined how pressures on the service had increased over the last few months, as there had been increased levels of sickness and the need for staff to self-isolate. Work was being undertaken to recruit additional staff and review rotas.

We found co-ordinators and supervisors had systems in place to schedule calls and monitor attendance at calls. Two care coordinators covered different areas in Darlington, and they had their own staff team. Staff discussed how they did not get travel time and this had impacted service delivery. People were not always made aware of changes to the times that staff would be visiting. The registered manager confirmed they would ensure rotas were reviewed and travel time would be introduced.

Every staff member was committed to assisting people to have a good quality of life and all available staff had pulled together to cover all the care packages.

Medicines were administered in a safe manner. Systems were in place, which monitored how the service operated and ensured staff delivered appropriate care and treatment.

Staff took steps to safeguard people and promote their human rights. Incidents were dealt with appropriately and lessons were learnt, which helped to keep people safe. When necessary, external professionals were involved in individual people's care.

Appropriate checks were completed prior to staff being employed to work at the service.

The senior management team completed comprehensive audits of the service and constantly looked for

areas for improvement.