Archived: London Care (Brentford)

Updated 2 April 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 inspection took place on 8 March 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available.

The inspection visit was conducted by one inspector. Before the inspection visit one inspector and one expert-by-experience contacted people who used the service and staff by telephone to gain feedback about their experiences. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert-by-experience on this inspection had personal experience of caring for someone who had dementia.

Before the inspection visit we looked at all the information we held about the service, including notifications of significant events and the provider’s action plan for improvements. We spoke with 38 people who used the service, or their representatives, and 10 care workers who were employed by the provider.

During our inspection visit we looked at the care records for six people who used the service, which included care plans, assessments, records of care provided and medicine administration records. We also looked at the recruitment, training and supervision files for seven members of staff. We looked at the provider’s own records of quality monitoring and checks. We spoke with the registered manager and regional manager.

Updated 2 April 2016

The inspection took place on 8 March 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice because they are a domiciliary care agency and we wanted to make sure someone would be available.

The last inspection was on 17 August 2015 when we found breaches of three Regulations and the service was rated Requires Improvement. We found that people’s care was not always being delivered in a way which reflected their needs and preferences. We also found that the staff did not always receive the supervision, support and training they needed to care for people safely. We found that the provider did not always mitigate the risks of unsafe and inappropriate care and records were not accurately maintained. At the inspection of 8 March 2016 we found the provider had made the necessary improvements in these areas.

London Care (Brentford) is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people who live in their own homes in the London Boroughs of Hounslow, Brent and Ealing. At the time of our inspection approximately 164 people were using the service. The majority of people were over the age of 65 years old, although some younger adults with a learning disability also received support. The branch employed approximately 85 care workers. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

London Care (Brentford) was run by London Care, a private organisation who provided domiciliary care throughout London and the South east of England.

People were happy with the service and felt their needs were met.

There were procedures for safeguarding adults and the staff were aware of these.

The risks to people’s health and wellbeing had been assessed and action was taken to minimise the risk of harm.

People received their medicines in a safe way and as prescribed.

There were enough staff to care for people and meet their needs and they were recruited in a safe and appropriate way.

People were cared for by staff who were well trained and supported.

The majority of care was provided at the agreed time by care workers who were familiar to people. Some people told us that this was not always the case. The provider was changing the systems of matching care workers to people to help improve consistency and timing of calls.

People were asked to consent to their care and treatment.

People’s health care needs were recorded.

People’s nutritional needs were recorded and they were supported to eat the food they wanted if needed.

People felt their care workers treated them with kindness and respect. They liked their care workers and looked forward to visits from regular and familiar care workers.

People told us their privacy was respected. The care which people received met their needs and reflected their preferences.

People knew how to make a complaint and the provider responded appropriately to these.

There had been improvements to the way in which the service was run and quality was monitored. There had also been improvements in record keeping making sure these were accurate, up to date and reflected the care given.

The provider had plans for further improvements to the service.