Everycare Hastings

Updated 14 December 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit as the agency is small and we needed to be sure there would be someone in the office when we visited.

Before the inspection, we checked the information held regarding the service and provider. This included any statutory notifications sent to us by the service. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send to us by law. We also reviewed the Provider Information report. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what they do well and improvements they plan to make.

The inspection started on 14 November and ended on 16 November 2018. We visited the office location on 14 November 2018 to meet with the owner and the manager and to review care records and policies and procedures. On 15 November we spoke with a carer by telephone. On 16 November 2018 we visited two people in their home to gain their experiences of care provided and to review their care documentation. We also met with a relative of the people.

During the site visit we spent time reviewing records, which included two support plans. We looked at a staff file, medication administration records, staff rotas and training records. Other documentation related to the management of the service such as incidents, meeting minutes, daily records and quality monitoring records were also viewed.

This was Everycare Hastings’ first inspection with the Care Quality Commission.

Updated 14 December 2018

This inspection took place on 14 and 16 November 2018 and was announced.

Everycare Hastings is a domiciliary care agency which specialises in the care of older people living in their own homes. The service provision varied from minimum one-hour visits daily to support people with personal care but they also provided companionship services and home help services.

Not everyone using Everycare Hastings received a regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of inspection, the service provided personal care support to two people.

There was no registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. A manager had been appointed and started in post on 3 September 2018. At the time of inspection, they had yet to apply for registration as manager. However, at the time of writing this report an application had been submitted for processing.

This was the first inspection of Everycare Hastings since registration. The organisation was developing systems to monitor and review the quality of the care provided. The service was small. Systems were still evolving and needed further time to be developed to fully meet their needs. We recommended the owner sought additional support in this area.

People told us they had continuity in the staff that supported them. When their carer was on leave the manager provided support. They liked the consistency offered by the service. They staff always arrived on time and stayed for their allocated time. They told us staff always completed the tasks required of them along with any additional requests. One person told us, their carer was “Like a family member.”

People were supported by staff who demonstrated kindness and had a caring approach. Staff knew people well. A relative told us they had good communication with their relative’s carer and with the office staff.

People knew how to complain if they needed to. They told us they would have no hesitation in picking up the phone if needed. However, one person said, “We have had nothing to grumble about.”

Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and knew what actions to take if they believed people were at risk of abuse. There were thorough recruitment procedures that ensured as far as possible staff were suitable and safe to work with people. As part of the assessment process risk assessments were carried out in relation to people’s homes and to their individual needs and where necessary, actions were taken to mitigate risks to reduce the risk of accidents or injuries.

There were safe systems for the management of medicines. These ensured people received support in a safe way. There was information in support plans about how people liked to take their medicines. Care staff had received training on medicines and the procedures to follow to ensure they were given safely.

Spot checks had recently been introduced to monitor staff performance. Staff attended regular training to ensure they could meet people’s needs. There was a thorough induction to the service and staff felt confident to meet people’s needs before they worked independently. People told us they liked the fact office staff came to check on staff as this meant they cared about them and their staff.

The owner and staff had a good understanding of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The MCA are regulations that have to be followed to ensure people who cannot make decisions for themselves are protected. People’s support plans reflected the choices they had been given daily and people told us staff always checked what support they needed and how it should be provided.

Support plans gave staff detailed advice and guidance on how to meet people’s needs. People told us they had been involved as part of the process. Support plans were reviewed regularly and as and when people’s needs changed. If professional advice and support was sought then this was included within the documentation. People had the equipment they needed to keep them safe.