Salem Community Services Ltd

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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.

Staff understood how to recognise the signs of abuse and what action to take to protect people who used the service. The provider followed safe recruitment processes which included undertaking background checks on potential new staff before they started working for the service.

People were supported to manage and take their medicines safely where required. There were sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment, (PPE) and people confirmed staff wore this. Staff had received appropriate training including in infection control. The management team reviewed any accidents or incidents to identify any actions needed to keep people safe and reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

Risks to people had been assessed and were kept under review. People were involved in their care planning and encouraged to decide what care they wanted.

Staff completed an induction and ongoing training which enabled them to carry out their role effectively. Where people required support with their meals and drinks staff assisted them and understood people's individual nutritional needs and preferences.

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.

People told us they valued the service by staff and were treated with dignity and their rights to independence and privacy were respected. People gave us examples of how staff encouraged them to continue to be involved in their personal care, so their independence would be maintained.

There was a strong person-centred culture embedded within the service. Staff knew people well and had established positive relationships with them. Staff encouraged people to live as full a life as possible and assisted them to achieve the best possible outcomes. People received person-centred care which was

tailored to meet their individual needs.

People were aware of the process to raise concerns or complaints and were confident they would be listened to.

People and staff told us the service was well led and managed effectively by a registered manager who was interested in their wellbeing and were approachable. Staff told us they felt supported to provide good care as the team worked well together, and staff morale was good.

People and their relatives were encouraged to provide feedback about the service they received. The registered manager and provider checked the quality and safety of the care provided. They used the findings from their checks and feedback from people, relatives and staff to drive improvements and to develop the service further.