CareRight

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.

The provider worked in partnership with other healthcare professionals to ensure people got the support then needed and was committed to continuously improving the service. The provider and registered manager demonstrated an ability to maintain an excellent standard of care provision against a backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and some of the most challenging operating conditions the care sector has experienced.

People and their relatives told us care staff were exceptional and went above and beyond to support people. For example, one person told us, "It very much feels as if they care about me and I matter to them, and the job they do really matters to me. It's nice to have care from people who are invested in it. They do go the extra mile." Staff provided care in an exceptionally person-centred way. For example, one person's family member was impressed that staff took pictures of the sunrise and of their changing garden to show their relative. Last Christmas staff provided 15 people, who had no family nearby and were unable to cook themselves, with a cooked Christmas lunch. This meant they had a traditional, hot meal and a visitor on

Christmas Day. Staff were pro-active in looking for ways to maximise people's independence and spoke about people with kindness, dignity and respect. A healthcare professional told us the person they were supporting hadn't been out of their home, other than to medical appointments, for several years. Staff had arranged a wheelchair for them and taken them out for a ride in their car. They said, "[Care staff] know her really well, they are caring, warm and respectful."

People's care plans contained specific information about who they were as people, and how staff could understand and respect that. For example, one person's care plan explained the colloquial Devonian terms they used to refer to people and told staff how important it was to them to have a laugh. People and their relatives were involved in creating and reviewing their care plans and told us how supportive staff were. Feedback from people and their relatives was sought. Comments made in response to a survey included, 'I would like to put on record just how helpful and terrific [staff name] is and how life-enhancing this is for me.' And, 'You couldn't do any better.' 'I feel very lucky to get the excellent care and kindness received from Angels.' 100% of people who completed the survey said they would recommend Angel Home Care to others.

Systems were in place to safeguard people from abuse and people's risks were assessed and well monitored. People were supported to receive their medicines safely. People's care plans contained good detail about how staff could support them to manage their health conditions and the risks associated with them. Systems were in place to ensure staff were recruited safely. Disclosure and Barring Service checks were obtained. There were enough staff to ensure people's needs were met and people told us staff had enough time to provide the care they needed, and to spend time talking with them. One person said, "If they're rushed, they don't show it." Well established systems and processes to monitor quality were in place and systems were in place to record, review and learn from things that went wrong.

People's needs were assessed prior to a care package being agreed and consideration given to which staff would be able to meet the individual person's needs. Staff completed training relevant to their role and received regular spot checks, supervision and appraisal. People told us staff who cared for them were well trained and knew how to support them with their medical equipment. People were supported to eat and drink enough and staff monitored how much people were eating and drinking where required. One person's relative told us, "They monitor her eating and drinking, they are very good at facilitating it." People's capacity was assessed where necessary and people were supported in the least restrictive way.

People had personalised care plans which they had developed with staff. Care plans contained detailed information about people's preferences and how they wished to be assisted. People had been supported to created detailed end of life care plans, where they wished to do so. People's care plans contained information about how they, and in some cases the people they lived with, communicated. Staff took action to reduce people's social isolation. For example, by organising equipment so they could be more independent. Systems were in place to ensure complaint and concerns were reviewed to identify where care could be improved.

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.