Background to this inspection
Updated
15 March 2019
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection was carried out by a single inspector and one expert by experience made telephone calls to people using the service and their relatives. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type:
Home Instead Senior Care North Oxfordshire are a domiciliary care agency (DCA). The service provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Notice of inspection:
We gave the service two working days’ notice of the inspection site visit because the registered manager is sometimes out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be available.
Inspection site visit activity started on 21 January 2019 and ended on 22 January 2019. We visited the office location on these dates to see the manager and office staff and to review care records and other documents relating to the running of the service.
What we did:
Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service and the service provider. We looked at the notifications we had received for this service. Notifications are information about important events the service is required to send us by law. We also read a sample of feedback from people and relatives who had provided their views on the service via a UK home care website.
During the office site visit we looked at records, which included four people's care and medicines records. We checked recruitment, training and supervision records for three staff. We also looked at a range of records about how the service was managed. We spoke with the registered manager, the director, the care manager, a senior staff member and care co-ordinator. We telephoned six people and five relatives to gather their views about the support received. We received feedback, via email, from nine care staff, eight relatives, a friend of a person using the service and a legal professional who was involved in one person’s life.
After our site visit three external health and social care professionals gave us their views about the service.
Following on from the visit the registered manager and director also sent us additional evidence.
Updated
15 March 2019
About the service:
Home Instead Senior Care North Oxfordshire are a domiciliary care agency (DCA). The service provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of our inspection the service supported 36 people. People had a range of health needs with some people living with the experience of dementia.
Rating at last inspection:
At the last inspection the service was rated good (report published 2 September 2016). For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk At this inspection we rated the service outstanding.
People’s experience of using this service:
¿ People using this service received exceptional care from a well led service. People consistently told us how they were supported with great kindness and respect. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from people, relatives and professionals on how staff had developed caring relationships with people and their relatives.
¿ The culture of the service was one of building positive relationships with people, assisting them wherever possible and going the extra mile to make sure people were happy and safe. People spoke about looking forward to the visits from staff. One person told us, “Wonderful service, fabulous staff and management.”
¿ People were placed at the centre of the service and were consulted on every level. Respect for privacy and dignity was at the heart of the service's culture and values. Everyone told us staff asked them before carrying out tasks and involved people in deciding on how they wanted to be supported.
¿ The service was exceedingly well run. Staff and the registered manager shared the visions and values of the service and these were embedded within service delivery. There were systems to assess the quality of the service provided. The registered manager and director worked hands on with the staff team, training staff to a high standard, knowing people's needs and ensuring these were being met.
¿ Staff worked in partnership with external health and social care professionals to ensure they supported people well. The lessons were learnt where appropriate to improve the service further.
¿ People were supported by consistent and very well trained staff. There was a particularly strong emphasis on continuous improvement with staff attending training on a range of subjects to ensure they supported people appropriately. This included the provider supporting staff to study for additional qualifications in areas such as end of life care. Staff spoke highly of the support they received. They confirmed they had regular supervision to ensure they carried out their roles effectively. Staff said they enjoyed the work especially as visits were no less than one hour and so staff could carry out all their tasks and spend time with people.
¿ People and their relatives told us they received safe care. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to protecting people from the risk of harm. Risks to people's well-being and their environment were detailed and updated when the circumstances changed. People received support to take their medicines safely and as prescribed. Regular checks on staff and their ability to do their jobs in a safe way meant people could be reassured they were receiving good quality care.
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.
Follow up:
We will monitor all intelligence received about the service to inform the assessment of the risk profile of the service and to ensure the next planned inspection is scheduled accordingly.
More information is in Detailed Findings below.