Delore Care East Sussex

Updated 5 December 2024

Delore Care East Sussex is a domiciliary care agency and provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of this assessment 139 people were receiving support with personal care. We previously assessed the service in April 2024 but did not cover all parts of our Single Assessment Framework. Scores from the previous assessment have been combined with scores from this assessment to provide an overall rating. The assessment was carried out virtually from 6 December 2024 to 06 January 2025. Improvements were needed to the quality of record keeping. One example was in relation to minutes of meetings so that minutes accurately summarised the meeting and anyone not attending could understand the discussions held. People had risk management plans, which were kept under review and updated when needed. The service learnt from incidents and made improvements where needed. Staff worked with other services to ensure people's needs were met effectively. The service followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people's individual needs. People were involved in decisions about their care. Staff were kind and caring, taking into consideration people’s unique differences. There were regular opportunities for people and relatives to provide feedback about their care. Staff told us they felt well supported by the management team. Quality assurance assessments were used to review the performance of the service. Action was taken based on the findings of the various audits.

Updated 5 December 2024

There were mixed responses in relation to the timeliness of calls. Some people us they were not informed if staff were running late. A relative told us, “I find the office very helpful, for example if a carer is running late and I don’t hear anything I will phone the office, and they get straight onto it.” Complaints and concerns were taken seriously and used as an opportunity to improve the service. Everyone told us they found it easy to contact office staff. A relative told us, “The agency is very well organised and that means I feel confident about her care. The manager is good and very easy to talk to.” A person told us, “I couldn’t manage without them. I like this care company very much.” People and their relatives told us staff treated them as individuals and with dignity and respect. Staff understood the importance of building positive relationships with people. Relatives complimented how staff interacted and engaged with them and their family members. “They absolutely treat me with dignity and respect, they have given me my life back.” People appreciated having regular staff who they had been able to build up relationships with. They felt their independence had improved with the care they received. One relative said, “All the carers are respectful and caring. “They encourage [person] to talk. It’s very much a positive relationship with the carers.” Another said, “The staff have been wonderful, they have been a Godsend. I could not be more thankful.” People, and relatives said they were regularly asked for their views and opinions on the care they received and felt their comments were valued. People’s relatives had confidence that the systems in place meant they were informed in real time about the care their lovely one received. A relative told us they had an app on their phone and said, “The app is very helpful to me as I live so far away,” adding, “If there are any issues at all [carer] will message me, so I am very happy.”