Archived: Select Home Care Limited

Updated 18 June 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 11 and 18 May 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we wanted to make sure staff were available to speak with us. We made telephone calls to people on the second day of our inspection.

One social care inspector carried out this inspection. On the first day of our visit, 21 people were using the service. We used a range of different methods to help us understand people’s experience. We spoke with seven people and two relatives. We spoke with three staff, two field care supervisors, and the registered manager.

We looked at five care plans (two of these were current care plans which had been brought into the office from people’s homes), medication records, three staff files, audits, policies and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 18 June 2016

Select Home Care Limited provides care and support to mostly older people, who live in their own homes. The services provided include personal care and domestic work in Exeter, Crediton, Newton Abbot, Teignbridge, and Plymouth.

The service had a 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.

We visited the office on 11 May 2016 and made phone calls to people on 18 May 2016. At the time of this announced inspection 21 people were receiving personal care from the service. The service was previously at a different location and was never inspected. The service was re-registered in April 2016 and this was the first inspection.

We received some concerns that there may not be enough staff to cover people’s visits. We carried out a focused inspection. The purpose of this inspection was to check people were receiving safe care.

Most people told us the service was reliable. They received a list of their planned visits each week. People said “They’re always here within five to ten minutes of the agreed time” and “They’re usually on time”. Staff told us they visited the same people regularly.

However, we found occasionally the service did not have enough staff to carry out people’s visits. One person said more staff were needed. A relative told us everything worked well when their regular staff were working. However, when they were on holiday or off sick, they said the service didn’t seem able to find cover easily. They told us they did not have staff to cover for a recent visit; this did not result in any risk to the person. The registered manager told us they knew they needed more staff to ensure they could cover absences. The service was advertising and interviewing new staff. Two new care staff were due to start work at the beginning of June 2016. We have made a recommendation that the provider keeps their staffing levels under review.

People told us they felt safe when staff were in their home and when they received care. Staff told us they had enough time at each visit to ensure they delivered care safely. Staff told us they visited the same people regularly. When talking with staff, it was clear they knew people well and quickly recognised if a person was not well.

Risk assessments had been completed for each person and their home environment. Where risks were identified, action had been taken to minimise the risk of potential harm. Accidents and incidents were logged in each person’s care plan. The service did not have a formal system in place to monitor accidents and incidents. The registered manager had identified this was an issue and had invited the Devon County Council quality team to come in and discuss incident reporting and audits.

People were supported safely with their medicines and told us they were happy with the support they received. Staff had fully completed medication administration record (MAR) sheets after they gave people their medicines. This showed people had received their medicines as prescribed to promote good health.

Staff had received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults and knew how to recognise signs of potential abuse. They confirmed they would report any concerns in line with the service’s safeguarding policy. Recruitment practices were safe. Staff files showed the relevant checks had been completed. This helped reduce the risk of the provider employing a person who may be a risk to vulnerable adults.

There was an ‘on call’ telephone number for people to ring in the event of an emergency out of office hours. The service had a plan in place to deal with foreseeable emergencies. There was a system in place to ensure visits to vulnerable people were prioritised.

A further comprehensive inspection will take place to inspect all five questions relating to this service. These questions ask if a service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. This will result in the service receiving an overall rating.