Archived: Neighbourhood Care HQ

Neighbourhood Care HQ provides a domiciliary care service to people who live in their own homes. The registered manager and designated administrative staff are based at the agency's office. Neighbourhood Care HQ is classed as a small agency which means that it provides support with personal care to no more than 100 people. At the time of this inspection the agency was providing support with personal care to 40 people.

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

People were supported by staff that were caring and treated them with dignity and respect. Staff understood the needs of the people they supported well and knew them as a person. All the feedback we received from people and their relatives was positive.

Risks of abuse to people were minimised. Assessments of people’s needs identified known risks and risk management guidance was produced for staff which they understood.

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. There were systems in place that ensured people who were deprived of their liberty were done so with the appropriate legal authority.

People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff felt supported by the registered manager. Staff understood their role and received appropriate training that supported them in their roles.

Staff worked together with a range of healthcare professionals to achieve positive outcomes for people and followed professional advice to achieve this, which included administering people’s medicines as prescribed.

People’s care plans were consistent and had a person-centred approach to care planning. Staff supported people to maintain important relationships and continue personal hobbies and interests.

Since 2016 onwards all organisations that provide publicly funded adult social care are legally required to follow the Accessible Information Standard [AIS]. The standard was introduced to make sure people are given information in a way they can understand. The registered manager was aware of the AIS and ensured information was shared in an accessible way.

People's concerns and complaints were listened to and responded to. Accidents, incidents and complaints were reviewed to learn and improve the service. People and their relatives commented positively about the registered manager and the quality of care their family member received. No concerns were raised about the quality of care provided.

Quality monitoring systems included regular audits to ensure people received good care. These were effective and evidenced that Neighbourhood Care had an effective governance system in place.

The registered manager had ensured all relevant legal requirements, including registration and safety obligations, and the submission of notifications, had been complied with. The registered manager felt staff had a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. This was evident to us throughout the inspection.

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 22 February 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.

Neighbourhood Care HQ provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes in Burnham On Sea and the surrounding area. At the time of our inspection there were 18 people receiving a service.

When we visited there was a 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.

Staff relationships with people were extremely caring and supportive. Staff were motivated and inspired to offer care that was kind and compassionate. Staff went over and above their caring duties in line with the philosophy and mission statement of the service. For example, one member of staff told us how they ensured people had a nice Christmas. They always liked to work Christmas day, dressed up as ‘Santa’s little helper’ and ensured people who lived alone had a home cooked Christmas dinner. Another person accidentally broke their favourite bowl. They were very upset about this. As a result, the registered manager obtained an exact replica from a website. They told us how pleased they were, stating, “I was very happy, thankful. They are very kind.”

People felt safe and staff were able to demonstrate a good understanding of what constituted abuse and how to report if concerns were raised. Measures to manage risk were as least restrictive as possible to protect people’s freedom. People’s rights were protected because the service followed the appropriate legal processes. Medicines were safely managed on people’s behalf.

Care files were personalised to reflect people’s personal preferences. People’s views and suggestions were taken into account to improve the service. They were supported to maintain a balanced diet. Health and social care professionals were involved in people’s care to ensure they received the right care and treatment.

There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place. Staffing arrangements were flexible in order to meet people’s individual needs. Staff received training and regular support to keep their skills up to date in order to support people appropriately.

There was good management and leadership at the service. Staff spoke positively about communication and how the registered manager worked well with them, encouraged team working and an open culture.

A number of effective methods were used to assess the quality and safety of the service people received and changes and improvements were made in response.

We also made home visits to three people who used the service and their main carers to gain their views about the service. We spoke with the care worker currently employed by the agency and observed them supporting people who used the service.

All of the people we spoke with gave positive feedback about the service and said that the manager and care worker respected their choices about the way care was delivered. A relative told us that 'they understand my relative and I am very happy with the support they provide.' All of the people told us they would use the service again and recommend it to other people.

People said they felt safe using this service and knew what to do if they had any concerns. We were told they had daily contact with the manager. People told us they felt confident about contacting the manager if there were any issues.