Home Instead Senior Care - Brighton, Hove and Shoreham office

Home Instead Senior Care - Brighton, Hove and Shoreham, referred to as Home Instead in this report, is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The service operates in Brighton and surrounding areas. Home Instead provides personal care to younger adults and older people including people living with dementia. On the day of the inspection 110 people were supported by the service out of whom 38 people received regulated activity of personal care.

Not everyone using the service received personal care. The 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 told us that staff were ‘excellent’. Staff had an excellent rapport with people and in-depth appreciation of people’s needs this included their likes, dislikes, preferences and wishes. Staff were very responsive to people’s care and support needs and provided care to people in a way that considered their life history and interests. Staff had an appreciation of people’s abilities and encouraged people to participate in social events and outings so people could be an active part of the local community.

People and relatives knew how to make a complaint if they needed to and felt confident it would be appropriately addressed. The management team saw complaints as way to improve the service further.

The service remained caring and people and their relatives told us they were treated with the utmost respect. People were encouraged to live as dignified and as independently as possible. People’s confidentiality was respected and people’s details were kept secure.

People continued to be supported safely. Staff were aware of the safety and well-being of people who used the service and kept people safe from avoidable harm. Safe recruitment processes were in place to ensure suitable staff were employed. Medicines were administered safely.

People's needs were assessed before their care commenced. Staff had the right skills and knowledge to carry out their roles effectively and were well-supported by the registered manager with supervisions and appraisals. The service supported people to manage their health conditions and maintain their wellbeing including good nutrition.

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.

The service remained well-led. People, relatives and staff spoke highly of the registered manager. Staff felt very well supported by the registered manager who was approachable and available for support and guidance. Effective quality assurance systems had been established to monitor the quality of the service being delivered. The culture at the service put people at the heart of the service delivery, and the team demonstrated a strong person-centred ethos.

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 (report published 28 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.

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.

People and their relatives spoke highly of the caring nature of the staff and were happy with the standard of service they received from Home Instead Senior Care. One person said, “They are all kind and caring, I have never had any problems, they are lovely, lovely people.” People told us the care workers were reliable, punctual and professional in their approach. People received the time that was allocated to them and they told us that care workers were flexible and stayed longer if they needed to. One person said, “I never feel rushed, I always get the full hour and they certainly live up to their brochure.” There were enough staff to care for people safely.

Risks to people had been identified and assessed. Care plans supported staff in how to care for people safely. Staff had a good understanding of their responsibilities to keep people safe. They were able to describe how they would recognise abuse and what actions they would take to ensure people were protected. Staff told us that they had developed positive relationships with the people they were caring for and demonstrated a clear knowledge and understanding of people’s needs and their preferences with regard to their care.

People were supported to make choices and to express their views about their care arrangements. One person told us, “They are always asking if I am happy and checking if there is anything that needs changing.” Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and sought people’s consent before providing care.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink. They told us that care workers helped them to access health care service when they needed to. One relative said, “It gives me peace of mind to know they are coming in. They have called me before and suggested that we might need the doctor.” Staff received the training and support they needed to be effective in their role and people told us that they had confidence in their abilities. One person said, “The lady who comes to me is very conscientious, careful and thorough. She has been trained and her whole attitude conveys confidence and experience.”

People spoke highly of the management of the service and told us that they knew how to complain and felt comfortable to do so. One person told us “The office staff are very good, everything is well managed I would say.” Staff described an open culture where they felt comfortable to raise any issues or concerns. One care worker said, “There is always someone we can talk to, we are very well supported, much better than at other places I have worked.” The provider and registered manager had a clear vision for the service and used quality assurance information to drive improvements. Record keeping was robust and systems ensured that information was updated regularly.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities in relation to their registration with the Care Quality Commission. The registered manager understood that they must submit notifications to us, in a timely manner, about any events or incidents they were required by law to tell us about. They were aware of the new requirements following the implementation of the Care Act 2014. For example they were aware of the requirements under the Duty of Candour. This is where a registered person must act in an open and transparent way in relation to the care and treatment provided.