14 & 15 May 2015
During a routine inspection
This inspection took place on 14 & 15 May 2015 and was announced, which meant we told the provider 48 hours in advance that we would be coming.
During our previous inspection on 5 February 2014 the provider met all the regulations we inspected.
Jays Homecare is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care for a range of people living in their own homes. These included people living with dementia, older people, people with a physical disability and people with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection, the service was supporting up to 100 people and employed 40 members of staff. The agency provides care to people in the London Borough of Brent and Ealing. At the time of our inspection 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.
People, relatives and staff spoke highly of the service. One person told us, “They are part of the family now.” Another person told us, “I have nothing but good words.” A relative told us, “I would recommend them to anyone.”
Staff knew how to support people and help maintain their safety. They understood their responsibility to protect people from harm and abuse and they felt able to report any concerns appropriately.
Risk assessments had not been fully completed in relation to people’s individual needs and contained limited information for staff to follow to help ensure they provided safe care to people who used the service. The service had recruited a sufficient number of suitably qualified staff to meet people’s needs. Recruitment practices were not always followed and we found that not all care workers had provided sufficient references. People received the support they required with their medicines.
Staff had not always received all of the training they needed to ensure they were able to deliver effective care. However people who used the service and relatives told us care workers had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and support needs. Staff commented they felt valued and enjoyed working for Jays Homecare. The provider recognised staff’s on-going commitment and hard work. People who used the service told us they could make choices about the support they received. The registered manager had a good understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 20015.
The service was responsive to people’s individual needs. Staff were able to accommodate last minute changes to care calls or requests for urgent care calls. Staff regularly fed-back concerns to the registered manager and office staff. Where people’s health needs had deteriorated, the provider was able to increase people’s packages of care in a timely manner.
People confirmed staff respected their privacy and dignity. Staff had a firm understanding of respecting people within their own home and providing them with choice and control. The service had identified people’s needs and preferences in order to plan and deliver their care. People said the service met their needs and encouraged them to be as independent as possible. People were asked for their views of the service and said they knew how to make a complaint about the service if they needed to.
All the people we spoke with told us the care provided by the service was responsive to their needs. The registered manager and office staff were in regular contact with all the people who used the service and were able to quickly respond to any comments or suggestions from people about the care they received.
There were systems in place to record any complaints about the service and all the people we spoke with told us they would be confident to approach the registered manager with any concerns.
Staff told us they were happy working in the service. They told us the registered manager and office staff were approachable and always available to provide any support or advice they required.
There were systems in place to complete regular ‘spot checks’ regarding the quality of care staff were providing. Regular annual quality assurance surveys ensured to obtain feedback from people who used the service about the quality of care provided.
We identified three breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.