We carried out a review of the data available to us about Care Herts Limited 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 Care Herts Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Care Herts Limited is a domiciliary care service that is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes in the community. At the time of our inspection 19 people were being supported with personal care.
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 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 and relatives were happy with the service. They told us staff always visited at the agreed times and on the rare occasion when they were delayed they informed people. People felt safe and told us staff knew what risks were involved when supporting them. Staff managed people’s medicines safely when it was required.
Staff received training and were aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns internally and if needed externally to local safeguarding authorities.
People were complimentary about staff. They told us they were kind and caring. People felt listened and involved in their care.
Staff knew people well and were aware of people’s abilities, the help they needed, and the risks involved when delivering care and support.
People’s needs were assessed prior of them using the service and care plans were detailed with the support they needed at each visit.
Staff felt supported and well trained to follow best practice when supporting people. They complimented the registered manager for running a service responsive to people’s needs but also supporting and enabling staff to provide the best possible care for people.
The registered manager was fully involved in the care delivery and this meant that they were knowledgeable about people’s needs, received regular feedback about the service from people and they monitored staff practices.
There were quality assurance processes in place including audits, surveys and regular spot checks on staff to ensure the quality of the service provided was improved when needed.
The registered manager organised events for all the people who used their service throughout the year to give people more opportunities to interact and prevent social isolation. This support was extended more to people who had no nearby family to visit them regularly.
For more details, please see the full report for Care Herts Ltd which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (report published on 29 June 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.
Care Herts provides personal care to people in their own homes. People who used the service funded their own care privately or through direct payments or NHS funding. At the time of our inspection 29 people received the regulated activity personal care.
There was a manager in post who had registered with the CQC. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
This was the first inspection of this service since the provider re-registered at a new address on 18 January 2016.
People felt safe and well supported by the staff who provided their care. Staff understood how to keep people safe and risks to people's safety and well-being were identified and managed. Robust recruitment practices were followed to help ensure that staff were suitable for the role performed. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s agreed care and support needs at the time they preferred. Staff were trained to help and support people take medicines safely where appropriate.
People and their relatives were positive about the skills, experience and abilities of the staff team who provided their care and support. Staff received training relevant to their roles and were routinely supervised by their line management. People were supported to maintain good health in a way that took account of their needs and personal circumstances.
Staff had developed positive and caring relationships with the people they supported and clearly knew them very well. People were provided with care and support in accordance with their individual preferences and with their consent. People were actively involved in the planning, delivery and reviews of the care and support they received. Personal and private information held about people’s medical and personal histories was securely maintained.
People’s support was provided in a way that promoted their dignity and respected their privacy. People were supported to engage in opportunities for social engagement if they chose to do so. People knew how to make a complaint but told us they had rarely had cause to do so.
People who used the service, their relatives and the staff team were complimentary about the registered manager and how the service was operated. Effective arrangements were in place to monitor risks and the quality of services provided.