Brighter Days Care at Home

Staff had been recruited safely and with the required pre-employment checks being completed. This included a check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Staff received a thorough induction which was completed face to face at the office location. Staff were provided with a range of training and there were enough staff available to safely meet people’s needs.

People had risk management plans recorded which were regularly reviewed and updated when appropriate. The provider made sure risk was reviewed for environments and use of equipment. Staff were provided with training to use all equipment and the provider made sure equipment was safe to use. Staff followed safe infection prevention and control guidelines and used personal protective equipment safely.

Feedback about the management approach was positive. People, relatives and staff told us they felt the management team were approachable, responsive and managed the service well. Regular checks for quality and safety were completed and areas for improvement identified. There were regular staff and management meetings to share information, review actions for improvement and discuss any shortfalls.

The service was open to feedback from any source and demonstrated a positive approach to learning and development.

However, we did receive feedback from people about continuity issues with their care workers. The provider had also received this feedback and were taking steps to make improvements.

Further, medicines were not consistently managed safely. We found gaps in recording for some medicines. Staff had been provided with medicines training and regularly received checks of their competence.