Later Living Homecare

Home Instead Senior Care is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people in their own homes in the Rotherham area. Not everyone using the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection it was providing personal care services to around 30 people

People's experience of using this service:

Risk assessments were carried out to ensure people could be cared for safely, although we did identify a small number of areas where a risk assessment was required but not in place. People were protected against the risk of abuse. Staff had received training in relation to safeguarding, and records showed the provider had taken most of the required steps when people were suspected to be at risk of abuse, although on two occasions the provider had not made the required notifications to CQC.

The provider carried out audits of the service regularly, but we identified a small number of areas which the audits hadn't identified. For example, medications were mostly well managed but there were no protocols in place for people taking medicines on an "as required" basis. We have made a recommendation about implementing appropriate protocols.

People received support which was tailored to their needs, delivered by staff who treated them with respect and knew them well. Staff treated people with warmth and empathy, and exhibited a passion for their roles. Staff spoke with pride about the service they delivered with many saying they would be happy for their loved ones to receive services from Home Instead Senior Care.

Management within the service had fostered a culture of openness and continuous improvement. There was effective communication between staff and managers, underpinned by regular staff supervision and appraisal. Staff received training and support to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to carry out their role effectively. People using the service spoke highly of the staff members' knowledge, with one saying: "They know what they are doing, I have no concerns about them at all."

People had access to healthcare professionals as required. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People's feedback was regularly sought, so that they could contribute to ongoing improvements within the service. We saw evidence of this during the inspection.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published July 2017.)