Crossroads Care South Central

At the time of our inspection 65 people were receiving personal care. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

All care support workers we spoke with told us they had time to spend with people and were able to build relationships with people and their carers. The service valued consistency and continuity by making sure care support workers were well matched with carers and the people they cared for.

People were consistently visited by the same care support worker and the minimum time for a visit was two hours a week, the amount of time spent depended on the needs of each person and their carer. People told us they knew who would visit them and when. A carer told us, "I know my son is safe because we have had the same carer (Care Support Worker) for 14 years, she is like a member of the family now, to me as well as my son."

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.

Quality assurance arrangements were in place to seek feedback from staff, carers and the people they cared for about the service to make continuous improvements and respond to concerns.

Care support workers enabled people to maintain their independence as much as possible.

Staff were skilled and knowledgeable. They had received training that equipped them to fulfil their role and had opportunities to do further training to meet specific needs of people using the service. A relative told us, "The knowledge of the care support worker is outstanding, she can cope with any situation."

People were provided with care and support that was centred on their needs, wishes and preferences. Personal support plans described people's needs, interests, hobbies and preferences. Care support workers knew people's personal history, interests and the relationships that were important to them. People and their relatives were involved in planning their care and making decisions.

Risks to people's health and safety were assessed and managed. The majority of people managed their own health needs and medicine, either on their own or with the support of relatives. Despite this, where care

support workers spotted changes in people's health or needs they were responsive in taking appropriate actions.

Care support workers told us they enjoyed their roles and found the work rewarding. A care support worker told us, "I love my job, love my clients and love helping the people. It's very rewarding." Safe recruitment practices ensured that suitable staff were safe to work in a social care setting.

People's rights were protected, and staff respected people's choices and diverse needs.

Staff supported people to have ready access to food and drink and supported people with food preparation where this was part of their personal support plan.

This service met the characteristics of Good. More information is in the 'Detailed Findings' below.

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