One to One Homecare Limited - Head Office

One to One Homecare (Head Office) is a domiciliary care agency providing care to people in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection there were 123 people receiving personal care and support from the service.

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

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.

People told us they felt safe and that they were supported by reliable, regular staff who arrived to support them at the agreed time. Staff had an understanding of safeguarding and identified potential abuse, so this could be investigated and acted on by the management of the service. People were supported appropriately with their medicines.

Staff received appropriate support and training for the role. There were opportunities for staff to further develop their skills, knowledge and progress into roles with more responsibility. Plans were in place to introduce an appraisal system.

People told us staff were kind and caring towards them. They told us staff treated them with respect and cared for them in line with their preferences.

Where required, people received appropriate support to maintain good hydration and nutrition.

The service worked well with other agencies such as dieticians, district nurses and doctors to ensure people had joined up care. People were supported to make and attend appointments with healthcare professionals where this was part of their agreed care plan.

People and their representatives were involved in the planning of their care. Their views were reflected in their care records. People’s care records were individualised and contained sufficient information about their past history and preferences for staff to provide them with person centred care.

There was a robust quality assurance system in place capable of identifying area’s for development and improvement. The provider had recently appointed a quality assurance manager to oversee the service provided by each office. People were given an opportunity to feedback their views on the service and their comments were acted on.

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 23 December 2016).

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.

A registered manager was 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 we spoke with and their relatives were complimentary about the care provided. They told us they received safe and effective care by care workers who were kind and compassionate.

Systems were in place which provided guidance for care workers on how to safeguard the people who used the service from the potential risk of abuse. Care workers understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping people safe and actions were taken when they were concerned about people’s safety.

There were procedures and processes in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. These included risk assessments which identified how the risks to people were minimised.

Where people required assistance to take their medicines there were arrangements in place to provide this support safely.

There were sufficient numbers of care workers who had been recruited safely and who had the skills and knowledge to provide care and support to people in the way they preferred. Care workers had developed positive relationships with people who used the service and understood the need to obtain consent when providing care.

People received care and support which was planned and delivered to meet their specific needs. People and/or their representatives, where appropriate, were involved in making decisions about their care and support arrangements.

Where care workers had identified concerns in people’s wellbeing there were systems in place to contact health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment. Where required people were safely supported with their dietary needs

There was a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to voice their concerns if they were unhappy with the care they received. People’s feedback was valued and used to improve the service.

There was an open and inclusive culture within the service. Staff spoke warmly of the management team including the directors of the agency and told us they felt supported in their roles. Office staff and care workers understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to people. An effective quality assurance system was in place and as a result the service continued to develop.

People told us that the care workers were polite and treated them with respect. One person told us, 'Oh always.' Another person told us, 'They (care workers) had better be, I would never let my own children be horrible to me, so I wouldn't allow others to be.'

We looked at the care records of five people who used the service and found that the people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights.

We found that there were enough care workers employed to meet people's needs. One person told us, 'Everyone one I have come here (person's home) are very good and they are lovely to me.'

The provider monitored the service to ensure that people were provided with safe care and support which included announced and unannounced checks on the quality of care and support people were receiving during their care visits. One person told us, '(Senior staff member) was only here the other day checking paperwork and things.'

People told us if they had any concerns that they would speak to their care worker or contact the office. One person told us when they had first started using the service they had been told, 'Phone the office if you are not getting the right service'but we have had no problems.'

People who used the service were happy with the quality of care and the way it was delivered. One person said, "they are all first class. They do my personal care and spend time talking to me as well."

We tracked the care records of four people who used the service and found that they experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. We saw evidence that care planning was used safely through clear assessments and plans to meet assessed needs.

People who use the service were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff were trained to understand the signs and symptoms of abuse and had clear guidance on how to respond to concerns or allegations of a safeguarding nature.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. We saw staff records which demonstrated that staff received a wide range of training opportunities in all areas related to the needs of people who use the service.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive, including regular audits and monthly reporting.