Always Home Care

Updated 17 September 2019

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 an inspector.

Service and service type

Always Home Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

As the provider was an individual, the service was not required to have a registered manager as part of their registration. The provider was legally responsible for how the service was run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice, to ensure they would be available and to give them time to gain people’s consent for us to contact them for feedback.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed previous inspection reports and information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included information from the provider about important events that had taken place at the service, which they are required to send us. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection. Due to technical problems, the provider was not able to complete a Provide Information Return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke on the telephone with two people who were supported by the service and five relatives, to gain their feedback about the support provided. We also spoke with three care staff, the care co-ordinator and the provider, who is responsible for supervising the management of the service. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at one staff recruitment file and staff supervision and appraisal records. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures and audits.

After the inspection

We received updates from the provider about changes made to documentation. We contacted two community professionals who regularly visit people supported by the service for their feedback about the support provided by Always Home Care.

Updated 17 September 2019

About the service

Always Home Care is a home care service, providing personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, the service was supporting eight people.

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

Staff visited people on time and stayed as long as they should. No-one had experienced any missed visits. The provider recruited staff safely and staff knew how to protect people from abuse. Staff managed risks to people’s health and wellbeing appropriately. Staff administered people’s medicines safely and checked people’s equipment regularly to ensure it was safe for them to use.

The provider ensured staff completed the training needed to meet people’s needs. Staff supported people to eat and drink enough and ensured they received appropriate support with their healthcare needs. 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 liked the staff who supported them very much. They told us staff were caring, kind and respectful. Staff respected people's right to privacy and dignity and encouraged them to be independent when it was safe to do so. They respected people's diversity and involved people in decisions about their care.

People were supported by staff who knew them. They told us staff provided them with individualised support that reflected their needs and preferences. People had developed positive relationships with staff, which helped them avoid social isolation and loneliness. Staff offered people choices and encouraged them to make decisions about their care. No formal complaints had been received by the service.

Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and provided care which resulted in good outcomes for people. They worked in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure people received the support they needed. People, relatives and staff were happy with how the service was being managed. Staff felt valued and well supported by the care co-ordinator and provider. The provider had effective oversight of the service and the support staff provided to people.

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 18 January 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.