Watershed Care Services Limited

The service was supporting 29 people at the time of our inspection, all of whom received personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Ten of these people received live-in care.

Staff understood their responsibilities in protecting people from abuse and knew how to report any concerns they had. The provider's recruitment procedures helped ensure only suitable staff were employed.

Risk assessments had been carried out to identify and mitigate any risks involved in people's care. People's medicines were managed and administered safely. Staff helped keep people's homes clean and wore personal protective equipment (PPE) when they carried out their visits.

Staff had the support and training they needed to carry out their roles. This included an induction when they started work, regular refresher training and supervision with their managers.

People's needs were assessed before they began to use the service. A personalised care plan was developed from this assessment which contained information for staff about how people's care should be provided.

Staff monitored people's health effectively and supported people to access healthcare services when they needed them.

People received their care from consistent staff and had established positive relationships with their care workers. People said staff understood their preferences about their care and respected their choices. Staff supported people to maintain their independence where this was important to them.

There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. These included regular spot checks and audits of key aspects of the service.

People had opportunities to give feedback about the care they received and their views were listened to. Complaints were managed in line with the provider's complaints procedure and action taken to resolve any issues raised.

The registered manager provided good leadership for the service and staff were well-supported by the management team. The agency had established effective working relationships with other professionals involved in people's care, including commissioners, care managers and healthcare professionals.

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.