Holistic Healthcare Cambridge

Updated 26 October 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

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

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 20 September 2022 and ended on 6 October 2022. We visited the location’s office/service on 6 October 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We used information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 22 February 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. 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 (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke to three people and two relatives over the telephone. We also spoke to seven staff, including four senior care workers, the manager, the registered manager, and the operations manager, who is also the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also received feedback from three external health and social care professionals.

We reviewed a range of records. These included sampling five people’s care records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and training. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service. These included policies and procedures, audits, and records relating to compliments and complaints.

Updated 26 October 2022

About the service

Holistic Healthcare Cambridge is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides care and support to older and younger adults, and adults who have a physical disability. This includes live-in care. At the time of our inspection there were 26 people using the service.

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

Various aspects of the service, including people's care, staff training and practices, and complaints were monitored. However, these monitoring processes were not part of a planned and organised monitoring system. In addition, the provider had not notified us of all relevant events that had occurred. The registered manager and nominated individual agreed the service would benefit from more formalised monitoring procedures and to put systems in place to ensure we were notified of relevant events. We found no evidence that this impacted on the service provided to people during our inspection.

We have made a recommendation in relation to monitoring the quality of the service provided.

People and their relatives told us they knew how to raise their concerns and were confident any concerns or complaints would be dealt with. However, records were not always available of the investigations or action taken as a result of complaints.

We have made a recommendation about how the provider records the action they take as a result of complaints about the service.

We received positive feedback about the service people received and the way it was managed. One person said, “They’ve been an absolute godsend to me.” Staff were sensitive when providing personal care and supporting them in their own homes. Staff supported people to be as independent as possible. The registered manager and staff were approachable and accessible and sought people’s views about the service.

People felt safe receiving the service and were protected from avoidable harm by a staff team trained and confident to recognise and report any concerns.

People were treated with respect and their independence was promoted. They were supported to have enough to eat and drink and to manage and maintain their healthcare needs. Staff liaised with external care professionals to ensure people received the care and support they needed.

Staff had the time to ensure they met people's needs safely, and in a way that suited them. Staff told people if they were going to be late. People received care from a small team of staff who were well trained and felt very well supported.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Staff supported people to express their views and consulted them about their care.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 30 April 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.