Background to this inspection
Updated
13 April 2021
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission at the time of inspection. 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
This inspection was announced.
We gave the service 48 working 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.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with one person who uses the service and one relative of this person. We also spoke with three members of care staff, the registered manager and the compliance manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included a person’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, were reviewed.
Updated
13 April 2021
Precious Hope and Home Care Milton Keynes is a small domiciliary care agency that provides the regulated activity, ‘personal care’ to people living in their own homes in the community. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.
At the time of the inspection, the service was providing ‘personal care’ to nine people using the service.
At our last inspection in January 2016, we rated the service ‘Good’. At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support the rating of ‘Good’ and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is set out in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since the last inspection.
Feedback from people, relatives and staff was used to drive continuous improvement of the service. The complaints policy was made available to people and relatives so they knew how to raise any concerns and complaints. The registered manager had responded to complaints; however records need to be more detailed to provide a clear audit trail of the actions taken.
People and relatives felt safe with the staff providing their care and support. Staff were aware of their responsibilities for keeping people safe from any form of abuse and avoidable harm. The registered manager understood their responsibilities to keep people safe, they had notified the local safeguarding authority and CQC of safeguarding concerns and carried out investigations as required.
Staff recruitment procedures ensured appropriate checks were carried out on new staff to ensure they were suitable to work at the service. The staffing arrangements met the individual dependency needs of people using the service.
Staff had the appropriate skills, competency and knowledge to meet people’s individual needs. Health and safety training followed current relevant national guidance to prevention and control of infection. One to one supervision was provided for staff to reflect on their practice and promote self-development.
People received their medicines safely and staff supported people to access support from healthcare professionals when required to ensure that people received coordinated care and support.
Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (MCA) legislation and followed this in practice.
People were involved in planning their on-going care and support. The care plans were person centred and provided staff with appropriate guidance.
People's needs and risks were assessed and staff were aware of the needs of each person. Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect and provided care in keeping with their wishes and preferences.
The service notified the Care Quality Commission of events and incidents, as required by law. Internal audits continually monitored the quality of the service, based on the audit findings timely action was taken to drive continuous improvement of the service.