Gardiner's Homecare Limited received an overall rating of Good at its November 2017 inspection, with Responsive rated Outstanding for its individualised care planning, exemplary accessible information practice, and innovative approaches to reducing social isolation. No regulatory breaches were identified, and the service demonstrated strong governance, staff training, and a compassionate, person-centred culture.
Strengths
· Outstanding responsive care including individualised care plans, accessible information standards compliance, and BSL enrolment by the registered manager to communicate with a deaf service user
· Innovative 'virtual dementia' training giving staff experiential insight into living with dementia, with plans to extend to family carers
· Real-time electronic recording system alerting management to late, short, or incomplete visits, enabling prompt governance responses
· Strong staff matching process pairing people with carers based on knowledge, experience, and shared interests to reduce social isolation
· Proactive community engagement including coffee mornings, newsletters about local events, and charity participation such as the 'Walk for Alzheimer's'
Quality-Statement breakdown (21)
safe: Safeguarding and whistleblowingGood
safe: Risk assessment and managementGood
safe: Medication managementGood
safe: Recruitment proceduresGood
safe: Incident and accident monitoringGood
effective: Staff training and inductionGood
effective: Supervision and appraisalGood
effective: Consent and Mental Capacity ActGood
effective: Nutrition and hydration supportGood
effective: Equality, diversity and human rightsGood
caring: Respect, dignity and privacyGood
caring: Person-centred care planning and staff matchingGood
caring: Communication preferencesGood
responsive: Individualised care plans and accessible informationOutstanding
responsive: Complaints handlingOutstanding
responsive: Reducing social isolation and community engagementOutstanding
responsive: Equality and non-discriminationOutstanding
well-led: Leadership and management cultureGood
well-led: Governance and quality assuranceGood
well-led: Staff engagement and developmentGood
well-led: Community partnerships and family involvementGood
Gardiner's Homecare Limited received an overall Good rating following its September 2015 announced inspection, with an Outstanding rating for responsiveness reflecting staff who consistently exceeded their contracted duties to meet people's changing needs. Minor shortfalls were noted around the absence of PRN medicine protocols and inconsistent follow-through on quality assurance action plans.
Concerns (3)
minorMedication management: “We found the records of 'as required' (PRN) medicines did not provide sufficient information on when these should be administered. Reference was made to a PRN protocol however this could not be found.”
minorGovernance: “The action plan was not always followed up on in recording how tasks had been completed. The registered manager noted that it was important to evidence any changes required as a result of the audit.”
minorGovernance: “The registered manager advised shorter audits were completed monthly, although a formal report was not always prepared.”
Strengths
· Staff demonstrated exceptional responsiveness, going above and beyond contracted hours to ensure people's safety and wellbeing.
· Robust recruitment procedures including DBS checks, character references, and documented interview processes.
· Comprehensive induction and rolling training programme with 100% completion rate; IT system tracked training expiry dates.
· Care plans were person-centred, written in the first person, and reflected individual preferences, needs, and risks in detail.
· Staff were matched to people based on experience, knowledge, age, and personality, promoting consistent and meaningful relationships.