Inchwater Home Care

The providers continued to promote a high-quality caring service delivered by staff who worked in line with their values. This was supported by an in-depth recruitment process which focused on recruiting staff who were kind and compassionate. Staff and people were matched based on people's preferences, interests and personalities and there were strong bonds between people and staff built on trust. This meant people were comfortable speaking to staff if they had any concerns or worries about their health or safety.

People continued to be supported by highly skilled and well-motivated staff. One staff said, "I wouldn't switch jobs for the world." This meant people had the confidence they needed in staff to support them well. People were provided with support to continue managing their own medicines where appropriate and medicines were managed safely. When things did go wrong the providers were open and honest and focused on learning rather than blame. This meant staff could reduce the risk of events re-occurring

The staff and providers worked in close partnership with other organisations to promote people's health and wellbeing. This support was extended to relatives as staff understood the importance of family carers in the lives of people who used the service.

People continued to have excellent levels of support with eating and drinking. Staff used innovative approaches to encourage people to eat well and people had improved their health and wellbeing through eating better.

There was a strong focus on encouraging people to maintain or regain their independence which had achieved positive outcomes for people. People were treated with respect and were supported to lead dignified lives. Staff regularly went to extra mile and were proactively kind to people and their relatives. Relatives were also treated with kindness and told us they found the service provided them with support they found invaluable and led to better outcomes for people.

The providers had continued to be passionate about high standards of care and had continued to drive forward improvements. The provider helped to develop best practice and share this learning internally and with the wider community. The values of the service were understood by staff who actively followed them. This led to a positive culture, a strong commitment to quality and improved outcomes for people. T he provider was proactive at encouraging people to feedback about their experiences of the service. People were well supported to express themselves and be involved in planning their own care. Care plans were frequently reviewed with people. Where there were complaints these had been addressed. The providers fully analysed trends in complaints and had used this to identify and address the root causes of any discontent to improve the service.

People told us they felt safe and were supported and to continue or re-engage in the activities or sports they had enjoyed throughout their lives. This had a positive impact of people's wellbeing.

There was a focus on the individual and promoting well-being and positive mental health. Care, including the care at the end of people's lives was person centred and based on the preferences of the person. 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. Staff enabled people to have control of their care and lead active lives. This started at the assessment stage where assessments concentrated on people's strengths and led to care plans focused on wellbeing and encouraging independence.