We carried out a review of the data available to us about Vicarage Homecare Ltd on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Vicarage Homecare Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
Vicarage Home care providing personal care to younger and older adults who may live with dementia, a learning disability, mental health needs, physical disabilities or a sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 44 people.
Not everyone who uses the service may receive 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
Quality monitoring systems were in place although there was some scope where improvements could be made in respect of record keeping related to daily records and risk assessment.
There had been a lack of adherence to some regulatory requirements in respect of notifications to CQC and display of the last CQC report rating. Whilst these matters were addressed during our inspection, it did identify there had been a gap in knowledge of the law by the provider.
The provider (who was also the registered manager) was open and honest and had taken steps to address any issues we raised.
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People were protected from potential risks as staff had a good awareness of what these were and how to mitigate them, However, there was scope for some areas of risk assessment to be formalised to reflect staff knowledge.
Overall, people were satisfied with the arrangements for management of their medicines.
People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them where possible in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were supported by enough staff, who were caring and had developed good relationships with them. Staff showed respect for their rights, privacy, dignity and independence. Checks of staff when employed ensured they were safe to work with people who used the service.
People felt able to share their views with the provider and staff and people felt if they raise any concerns the provider would do what they could to put things right. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s needs and preferences and people told us they had good relationships with all staff.
People were supported by care staff who had the range of skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff understood their role, and they felt well supported with access to regular supervision.
People's health was supported as staff worked with other health care providers to ensure their health needs were met.
People were supported by staff to have choices, and the provider’s policies supported this practice. Recording of the specific decisions people could make could have been better recorded, although people were always asked for their consent by staff. People’s likes and dislikes as well as diverse needs were well known and respected by staff.
People could raise concerns and the provider had systems in place to investigate, monitor and respond to these.
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 04 May 2017).
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.
There was a registered manage in post at the time of the inspection. 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 felt safe with the staff who were supporting them. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been recruited safely. Staff understood how to keep people safe from harm and understood how to manage people’s individual risks. There were systems in place to promptly identify and manage late calls. People who were supported by staff to take medicines received them as prescribed by staff that had been trained and assessed as competent.
People were supported by staff that had the skills, knowledge and support to provide personal care. People’s rights were protected as the provider was appropriately applying the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and people were asked for their consent to care and support. People who were supported by staff to prepare and cook meals were provided with choices, and staff were aware of people’s specific dietary requirements. People were supported to maintain good health.
People told us staff were kind and caring and felt they were treated with respect. People were encouraged and supported to make day to day decisions about their care and support. Staff promoted people’s privacy and dignity and encouraged their independence.
People were supported by consistent staff who understood their needs and preferences. People and their relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care. Care records were updated regularly to reflect people’s changing needs. Staff were informed of any changes to people’s needs to ensure they provided effective care. People knew how to raise a concern or complaint and there was a system in place to ensure complaints were appropriately managed.
Most people we spoke with felt the service was well managed and told us they would recommend the service. The provider had systems and processes in place to monitor the quality and consistency of the service which were effective at identifying required improvements. There were processes in place to enable people, relatives and staff to provide feedback on the service and this information was being used to make improvements. Staff had a good understanding of their roles and felt supported by the registered manager. The provider was appropriately notifying us of event they were required to do so by law.