Mediline Home Care

Updated 10 January 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by one inspector and two assistant inspectors.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal and nursing care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had two managers registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service one weeks’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to obtain contact details and consent to contact people using the service.

Inspection activity started on 9 December 2019 and ended on 17 December 2019. We visited the office location on 16 and 17 December 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with ten members of staff including the two registered managers, assistant manager, co-ordinating staff, senior care workers and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included nine people’s care records and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality management records were reviewed.

Updated 10 January 2020

About the service

Mediline Homecare is a domiciliary care agency providing personal and nursing care to people in their own homes. 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. There were 136 people receiving regulated activity at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People continued to be supported in a safe manner. Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding and people were protected from abuse. People and relatives told us they felt safe with the staff who supported them. Staff assessed, managed and regularly reviewed risks to people's health and wellbeing. There were enough staff employed in the service to cover the geographical area covered. People received their medicines as prescribed and practices meant people were protected from infection. Lessons had been learnt following analysis of incidents

Care continued to be effective. People's needs and choices were met in line with national guidance and best practice. People were supported by staff who had relevant training, skills and experience to care for them. People were supported to have balanced diet and could exercise genuine choice with meals. Staff worked collaboratively with other health and social care professionals to understand and meet people's needs. Staff respected people’s choices and gained consent when supporting them.

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 were supported by kind and caring staff. People and their relatives spoke highly of the staff. For example, a relative told us, “The staff are absolutely fantastic. They are all nice, helpful and professional.” People told us they felt included in their care and were supported in their views and decisions. People were treated with dignity and respect and treated as individuals. Staff told us people’s independence was a priority.

The service provided continued to be responsive. People had personalised care plans that promoted independence and with a focus on their likes and dislikes. Staff identified people’s information and communication needs by assessing them. People’s social needs and relationship networks were understood. People knew how to make a complaint and felt they would be listened to. Staff told us they had received training in end of life care.

The service provided was well-led. Staff understood the provider's vision for the service and they told us they worked as a team to deliver good standards of care. Staff had a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. The provider understood the importance of quality monitoring and how to use this information to drive improvement. People using the service, their relatives and staff were regularly contacted to provide feedback on the service provided. The provider was committed to continuous improvement within the service. The provider was transparent, open and collaborative with external agencies.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 9 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.