We grade each service by Quality Theme which for most services are:

• Quality of care and support: how the service meets the needs of each individual in our care
• Quality of environment:  the condition and suitability of the living environment
• Quality of staffing: the quality of care staff, including their qualifications and training
• Quality of management and leadership: how the service is managed and how it is develops to meet the needs of the people being cares for
• Quality of information: how information and records are kept safe

Each of the Quality Themes has a number of Quality Statements in it, which we grade.

We grade each heading as follows but do not give one overall grade.

How grading works:

Customers make assessments using guidance that we have given them. Our inspectors take this into account when they inspect and grade the service. We have the final say on grading.

Statement 1
We ensure that customers and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the care and support provided by the service.

Service Strengths
At the last inspection on 15 July 2015, the grade awarded was grade 5-very Good. The service has continued to develop the ways in which it involves service users in assessing and improving the quality of their care and support. We found that the service was performing at an excellent standard and the grade awarded is Grade 6 – Excellent.

The service places great importance on involving service users and carers in how the service is run. The chief executive told us that they “don’t do anything without asking service users and staff”. The Quality Control manager has completed an extensive survey. A total of 759 service users completed a telephone or postal survey. A report and an action plan had been completed in response to service users/carers comments. Some service users could not take part in this type of survey and they were visited at home by a senior carer to gather their views. There was evidence of feedback on an individual basis and the service planned to provide a more general feedback in the next edition of the newsletter.

Where issues could not be readily resolved there was evidence of ongoing review and follow up. There was evidence that some service users had been involved in recruiting staff. One service user had recorded that they felt that this “means getting a chance to put something back into a first class company”. The service also taken account of service users comments about their carers as part of the staff development processes. A service user had also delivered training to staff about “values”.

Service user participation of this nature is something that the service plans to develop further.

Areas for Improvement
The service should continue to achieve and develop the current high standard in place.

Grade awarded for this statement – 6- Excellent

Number of Requirements – 0

Number of Recommendations – 0

Constance Care has a motto – “Time to Listen – Time to Care”.

Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following grades:

Quality of Care and Support – 5 Very Good

Quality of Staffing – 5 Very Good

Quality of Management & Leadership – 6 Excellent