The Care Quality Commission
  • Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Archived: Healthvision UK Ltd - Hammersmith Branch

Appleton House, 139 King Street, London, W6 9JG

Provided and run by:
Health Vision UK Limited

All Inspections

24 January and 30 April 2013

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We undertook this inspection to follow up our inspection findings in November 2012. An action plan had been provided following this inspection and had been updated in April 2013 with actions completed. We visited the service in January 2013 and again in April 2013. This report is based on our findings in April 2013.

We did not speak with people using the service at this inspection but we did look at the feedback survey of people undertaken by the provider during April 2013. In general people were satisfied with the service they were receiving. The provider had improved the processes for reviewing the quality and safety of the service provided. This included local authority contract monitoring as well as management reporting systems.

There were systems for monitoring the arrival and leaving times of staff at people's homes and checking that the time spent was the amount contracted for. Complaints, incidents and accidents were reviewed by the management team. Safeguarding concerns had been appropriately raised with the local authority and reported to CQC.

Care plans showed that people's needs had been assessed with input from people receiving care, their representatives and the local authority. The provider had reviewed all care plans since the November 2012 inspection.

8 November 2012

During an inspection in response to concerns

We undertook this inspection in response to concerns reported to us. We specifically looked at the care provided to six people who lived alone and who the service advised had dementia. We did not speak to the people who use the service because of their communication needs. However we interviewed relatives of two people who use the service and a close friend of another person. We also read written communication from other people involved in the lives of people using the service.

Peoples' description of their experiences of the service were not positive, staff skills were described as 'variable'. One person told us the quality of service was 'very patchy indeed'.

We had received reports that staff were late for their visits and sometimes did not stay for their allocated time. During our inspection we found evidence the some staff did not stay for their full call time and did not deliver the care that had agreed in the persons care plan.

Care workers told us that staff at the office were not always helpful when they had a concern about the health or wellbeing of a person using the service. We observed that office staff did not respond appropriately to these concerns. As a result, we raised a safeguarding concern with the local authority following our inspection.

15 August 2012

During a themed inspection looking at Domiciliary Care Services

We carried out a themed inspection looking at domiciliary care services. We asked people to tell us what it was like to receive services from this home care agency as part of a targeted inspection programme of domiciliary care agencies with particular regard to how people's dignity was upheld and how they can make choices about their care. The inspection team was led by a CQC inspector joined by an Expert by Experience who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

We used telephone interviews and home visits to people who use the service and carers and to their carers (a relative or friends) to gain views about the service. We spoke on the telephone to eight people who use the service and one carer and visited two people in their own homes.

All the people we spoke to were very satisfied with the quality of service and felt safe receiving care. People were positive about the skills of the staff who visited them. Most people described their care as 'very good'.

All the people who used the service said they were treated respectfully. People said that care workers understood their rights and the need to have their dignity and privacy maintained.

People said that their care was highly personalised and that they were always called by their preferred names. Everyone we spoke to said their care workers took time to get to know them and understand their needs and preferences, and supported their independence. One person said, 'The staff help me when I want help but they always encourage me to be independent as well' Other people told us, 'They are wonderful with mum, they speak to her always in a reassuring manner that keeps her relaxed' And, 'I have a carer that knows what I want and how I like it to be done, she is fantastic'.

Everyone was aware of their care plan and the information it contained about them. People said that care coordinators and managers came to visit and review their care regularly. People also said they gave written consent to changes in their care.

We spoke to the registered manager, acting branch manager and care coordination staff at the office. We also spoke to five care workers who visited the office during our inspection and one care worker on our home visits. Care workers were positive about the training and the amount of support they received to do their jobs.