Millies Care and Support Agency Limited

Millie’s Care and Support Agency Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal and nursing care to 95 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection.

Millie’s Care and Support Agency Ltd provide care and support to people living in their own homes, in Bath and the surrounding areas. Their head office is located in Bath.

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.

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

People were supported by staff who were kind and caring. People told us they felt the staff who visited them were like friends or family. When receiving personal care, people’s dignity and privacy was protected by staff, for example using a towel to cover the person.

People and staff spoke positively about the provider and the registered manager. Staff told us they were proud to work for Millie’s Care and Support Agency Ltd. People had the opportunity to voice their opinions about the service in different ways; for example, during reviews and by telephone. Notifications were sent to the commission in line with requirements. The registered manager was aware of their responsibility to act in an open and transparent way.

People told us they felt comfortable to complain but had not needed to and that the service was flexible and would re-arrange visits to meet individual needs. The provider had received one complaint in the twelve months before our inspection which was dealt with appropriately. People were helped to avoid social isolation because they were supported to access the community and people were provided with regular care staff.

Care plans reflected the needs, preferences and choices of people. The provider identified that end of life care planning was an area for development. However, relatives of people who received end of life support from the provider spoke positively about their experiences. Staff told us they received support and training to ensure they could carry out their roles. People told us they were supported to eat and drink sufficient quantities. 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 we found they were protected from the potential risk of avoidable harm and abuse. Risk assessments included guidance for staff about how to lower the risk of harm to people. Staff spoke confidently about identifying and reporting potential abuse. Medicines and creams were managed safely. We have made one recommendation in relation to the recruitment of staff. This was because two of the three staff files we reviewed did not include information about the staff member’s full employment history.

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 April 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor the service and may inspect sooner if required.

Millies Care and Support Agency Limited provides a variety of services in areas such as assistance with personal care, domestic tasks, help with medication and shopping. There were 106 people receiving support with personal care.

This was the first rated inspection of the service since it was registered with us.

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.

Staff were aware of and had been trained in safeguarding procedures to help protect the health and welfare of people who used the service.

Risk assessments for health needs or environmental hazards helped protect the health and welfare of people who used the service but did not restrict their lifestyles.

Staff were trained in the administration of medicines and the registered manager checked the records to help identify any errors and keep people safe.

People were supported to take a healthy diet if required and staff were trained in food safety.

Care plans were personalised to each person and showed staff had taken account of their wishes. Care plan were regularly reviewed to show that they were up to date.

The agency asked for people’s views around how the service was performing to improve the quality of the service.

There was a complaints procedure for people to make their views known. People received information on how to make complaints.

We observed a good rapport between people who used the service and staff. We saw that staff knew people well and understand their needs.

Staff were recruited using satisfactory recruitment procedures to help minimise the risk of abuse to people who used the service.

Staff received an induction and were supported when they commenced work to become competent to work with vulnerable people. Staff were well trained and supervised to feel confident within their roles. Staff were encouraged to take further training in health and social care topics.

Management undertook regular audits to ensure the service was running well.

There was an on call service for people to contact out of normal working hours when needed.

People who used the service thought the registered manager and staff were accessible and available to talk to when needed.

Staff were trained in infection prevention and control and issued with personal equipment to help protect the health and welfare of people who used the service and themselves.