Hodman Care Ltd

Hodman Care Limited is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of inspection one person was receiving personal care.

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

The person’s medicines were not always managed safely. Creams were not recorded on the person’s medicines records. We have made a recommendation about medicines management. Staff competencies to administer Medicines had been audited.

Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuse were in place, but the registered manager and staff were not familiar with the local authorities safeguarding process. We have made a recommendation about safeguarding.

The person was 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. However, the policies and systems in the service did not fully support this practice .

The provider’s recruitment rationale was not always evidenced when employing staff . We have made a recommendation about recruitment procedures.

Risks to the person had been assessed and reviewed. Care plans provided staff with guidance to meet their needs safely. The person was supported to maintain good health and had accessed health care services when needed. Staff prepared food and drink to meet the person’s dietary needs and requirements when required.

Staff training had been kept up to date and staff received formal supervision, but no annual appraisal. Staff practices were audited by the registered manager to ensure they provided care that people needed. Staff induction processes were sufficiently robust.

We were assured the person's needs and wishes were comprehensively and holistically assessed. There were systems and processes in place to assess and monitor the quality of care provided.

The registered manager was aware of their legal responsibilities and notified the Care Quality Commission as required. Improved communication and systems were in place to ensure the views of people, relatives and staff were sought, and any learning was shared with the staff team when things went wrong.

The person was supported by regular reliable staff who knew them and their needs well, which promoted continuity of care. A relative was confident complaints would be listened to and acted on. It was evident that people’s views about the service were sought individually and through surveys.

Rating at last inspection.

The last rating for this service was good (published 2 September 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the Safe, Effective, and Well-led sections of this full report.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach in relation safeguarding. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk .

Hodman Care Ltd is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide personal care to people who wish to remain in their own homes. The agency provides services in Leicester and supports people with a range of needs including complex health needs. At the time of our inspection there were two people using the service supported by eight staff.

This was our first inspection of the service since they registered with us.

The service did not have a registered manager in post. The registered provider was overseeing the management of the service while they recruited to the post of registered manager. 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 were kept safe from the risk of harm. Staff knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and who to raise concerns with. The registered provider had effective systems in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people. Risk assessments were detailed and regularly reviewed and updated if a new situation or new needs arose.

People were supported by the number of staff identified as necessary in their care plans to keep them safe. There were robust recruitment processes in place to ensure new staff were suitable to support people.

People were supported by staff who had received appropriate training. The registered provider made sure that staff were provided with training that matched the needs of people they were supporting. Staff received regular support and supervision which enabled them to provide people with effective care.

The registered provider and staff understood the relevant requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and how it applied to people in their care. Staff sought consent from people before providing care and understood people's right to decline their care and support.

Where necessary, people were supported to maintain their health and well-being which included support with meals and drinks in line with their preferences.

People spoke about staff as being caring, respectful and provided care in the way they wanted it. People confirmed they had been involved in the planning and development of their care. Staff promoted and upheld people's right to privacy and dignity and understood their role in enabling people to maintain their independence.

People's care plans were person centred, detailed and written in a way that described their individual care needs. These were regularly evaluated, reviewed and updated. This meant staff were provided with clear information and guidance about how people preferred to be supported and their personal objectives met.

The registered provider had a complaints policy which provided people with clear information about how to raise any concerns and how they would be managed. People confirmed they felt comfortable to raise concerns with the registered provider and were confident these would be addressed.

The registered provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the care people received. These included audits of key aspects of the service, such as records and staff working practices. The registered provider used outcomes of audits together with the views of people to drive improvements and develop the service.