Archived: Guinness Care At Home Hampshire

Updated 13 November 2021

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 team consisted of one inspector and an Experts by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider 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. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eleven members of staff including the nominated individual, registered manager, head of quality improvements manager, senior care workers and care workers. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider

We reviewed a range of records. This included eight people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at six staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 13 November 2021

About the service

Guinness Care at Home Hampshire is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes or people in supported living services. At the time of us inspecting 35 people received personal care as the regulated activity.

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

Risk assessments contained detailed guidance on how to respond to risks associated with people's care needs. Staff understood how to identify and report any safeguarding concerns.

Medicines were appropriately stored and disposed of. People received their medicines when they needed them. Staff had received training in how to administer medicines safely.

Staff had received robust training and on-going development to support them in their role. They had received an effective induction and strong on-going development that related to people's needs.

Staff knew the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The provider had effective arrangements and plans in place to ensure people's liberty was not restricted without authorisation.

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.

Good leadership was seen at all levels. Relatives told us the senior staff and manager were approachable and took any concerns raised seriously.

The provider had robust quality assurance systems in place to support and drive improvement.

The culture of the service was positive and open. People and staff felt the service was well managed and were confident in the provider's systems and policies to deliver good quality care. Regular quality assurance checks by the quality assurance manager and representatives from head office was carried out to ensure people's needs were being met and maintained.

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 requires improvement (published 16 March 2020) and there were three breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions safe, effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Guinness care at home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.