Horsfall House Homecare

Updated 23 November 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 was a comprehensive inspection. The inspection took place on 10 October 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because the service provided was domiciliary care in people’s own homes and we wanted to make arrangements to contact people. The inspection was completed by one adult social care inspector and an Expert by Experience (ExE). An ExE is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection visit we reviewed all the information we held about the service since the last inspection in February 2016. This included all statutory notifications and the Provider Information Return (PIR). Statutory notifications must, by law, be sent to us by the provider. These inform us of important and significant events which have happened in the home. We used information the provider sent us in the PIR to help plan the inspection. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually, to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with 22 people who used the service and eight relatives. We spoke with six members of staff and the registered manager of the service. We sought the views of commissioners of the service and two health care professionals.

We looked at the care records of 10 people who used the service and five staff files. These included records related to staffing including their recruitment procedures and the training and development of staff. We inspected the most recent records relating to the management of the service including quality assurance reports.

Updated 23 November 2018

Horsfall House Homecare is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. Horsfall House Homecare provides a service to older adults and people with disabilities. At the time of our inspection 80 people were using the service.

At our last inspection on 5 February 2016 we rated the service as overall ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of ‘Good’. There was no evidence or information, from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People were kept safe. Risks were identified, managed and reduced. Staff were recruited safely and they were trained and supported to meet people’s needs effectively. People’s medicines were managed safely and they received these as prescribed.

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’s nutritional wellbeing had been maintained and they continued to have access to health care professionals when needed.

People’s needs were assessed, care plans were developed and care was delivered in a way which met their needs and preferences. People were treated equally and their individual preferences and wishes were respected. Relatives were provided with opportunities to speak on behalf of people who used the service if the person indicated a preference for this.

Staff were kind, caring and compassionate. There were arrangements in place to help people feel included and to take part in social activities. Staff had the skills and knowledge to support people’s end of life needs. No-one using the service was receiving end of life care. However, the registered manager explained that they had plans to slowly and informatively speak to people individually about their end of life care and wishes and document their views

The service was well managed and the registered manager ensured people’s needs and wishes were the primary focus. Effective and appropriate systems, processes and practices ensured the service ran smoothly and that necessary regulations were met. Complaints could be raised and these were investigated and addressed. All feedback was welcomed and used to improve the service further.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.