Archived: Your Choice Homecare

About the service

Your Choice Homecare is a domiciliary care service whose office is situated on Chorley New Road in Bolton. The service provides personal care to people in their own homes.

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

Systems were in place to help keep people safe. Staff files included all appropriate documentation to ensure staff were recruited safely. There were sufficient staff to ensure people’s needs were fully met. Appropriate risk assessments were in place and were reviewed and updated as required.

Medicines were managed safely and records were complete and up to date. Staff had completed infection control training and were aware of how to use personal protective equipment correctly.

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 felt staff were kind and caring. People were seen as individuals and were supported according to their wishes. People were able to express their views in a number of ways.

The provider was open and honest when responding to complaints or concerns raised. Quality assessments were undertaken with people who used the service in between formal reviews. Audits ensured actions could be put in place where needed to help improve the service. The service worked closely with other health and social care professionals to help ensure joined up care for 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 6 October 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned pilot virtual inspection. The report was created as part of a pilot which looked at new and innovative ways of fulfilling CQC’s regulatory obligations and responding to risk in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was conducted with the consent of the provider. Unless the report says otherwise, we obtained the information in it without visiting the Provider.

The pilot inspection considered the key questions of safe and well-led and provide a rating for those key questions. Only parts of the effective, caring and responsive key questions were considered, and therefore the ratings for these key questions are those awarded at the last inspection.

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.

Both people using the service and the relatives we spoke with told us they felt safe as a result of the care and support provided by Your Choice Homecare. We saw the service had previously received positive feedback regarding people's safety.

The service had appropriate systems and procedures in place which sought to protect people who used the service from abuse. Staff we spoke with displayed a sound understanding of the safeguarding process and their responsibility for reporting any concerns. Staff also confirmed they had read and understood the safeguarding policy which was further supplemented by a whistleblowing policy and procedure which told staff what action to take if they had any concerns.

We saw that Your Choice Homecare placed a strong emphasis on maintaining and supporting individuals to keep them safe.

Everyone told us they had no issues with hygiene, with gloves and aprons consistently worn as required. Staff were aware of precautions to take to help prevent the spread of infection.

There was an appropriate, up to date accident and incident policy and procedure in place which was last reviewed in June 2017.

We looked at the care and support records of people who used the service and found these were comprehensive, well organised, easy to follow and included a range of risk assessments to keep people safe from harm.

People were protected against the risks of abuse because the service had a robust recruitment procedure in place.

People we spoke with and their relatives confirmed that the care workers and other staff they met were competent. People who used the service and their relatives told us staff were consistent, arrived on time and stayed for the full length of their visit.

There was a staff induction programme in place, which staff were expected to complete when they first began working for the service. Staff we spoke with all told us they received an induction and on-going training in order to ensure they had the necessary skills to meet people's individual needs.

The service held a record of all staff training undertaken and the date when it was due for renewal. Staff we spoke with confirmed they received regular one to one and group support.

The service ensured that staff were matched with people who used the service to ensure they were happy and comfortable with them providing support.

We found the service had an up to date MCA policy and procedures in place and staff had all received training in this area. We saw that mental capacity assessments had been completed and best interest meetings held with the involvement of the relevant people including family members where necessary.

All the people using the service we spoke with and their relatives told us staff sought their consent before providing care. The service gave people the appropriate support to meet people's healthcare needs.

People who used the service and their relatives told us care staff were kind, caring and helpful. People and their relatives told us they were involved in planning their care. We found the service aimed to embed equality and human rights though good person-centred care planning.

People using the service provided positive feedback regarding the support they received. The service had also received a high number of compliments in the 12 months prior to the date of the inspection. We looked at the results of the most recent questionnaires/surveys and noted comments received were consistently positive and complimentary about the service.

The service did not deliver end of life care directly and at the time of the inspection and were not involved in supporting any person or relevant professionals in providing care for people who were at the end stages of life.

In order to determine staff thoughts on how person-centred they felt the organisation was all staff were required to complete an extensive evaluation questionnaire about people who used the service and their family members. Staff were also required to comment on their interaction with relatives and family members regarding providing good information, family contribution and the supporting of family relationships.

It was clear from speaking to people who used the service that there was a strong emphasis on not rushing the delivery of care.

Each person who used the service had a care plan in place that was personal to them with copies held at both the person's own home and in the office premises.

There was an up to date complaints policy in place and people who used the service and their relatives told us they knew how to make a complaint.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Our discussions throughout the inspection demonstrated that there was an open and transparent culture which was person centred and empowered people to plan and be involved in the high quality care provided at this service.

The service had a clear set of aims and objectives which were referenced in the statement of purpose. We found the service had policies and procedures in place, which covered all aspects of service delivery.

Feedback on how the service was managed and the culture within the team was very positive. Staff told us they felt they were able to put their views across to the manager and felt they were listened to.

The service had achieved Investors in People (IIP) status and was a member of the National Skills Academy for Social Care. The service was also registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

The registered manager had produced a well-developed website. There was a wide range of information on this website that would be useful to people who used the service and their relatives.

Systems were in place to monitor the service and identify where improvements could be made. People's progress was reviewed on a regular basis to ensure the service was meeting their needs and discussions with people who used the service and their relatives took place regularly, which we verified by looking at records.

In order to promote the importance of person centred care and dignity and respect care staff were monitored regularly through direct observation, announced and unannounced spot checks and specific observations.

The registered manager was very visible in the team and proactive throughout the inspection in demonstrating how the service operated and how they worked to drive improvements in the service.

Newsletters were sent to staff approximately every three months and staff meetings were held each week in the office premises.

We saw the manager was extremely knowledgeable about each person without the need to refer to care files and provided clear guidance and updates to care staff as necessary.

The service maintained a 'governance file' which included information and records of team meetings, MAR and client monthly reports, team member monthly reflective feedback forms, care file audit checks and outcomes, supervision/appraisal outcomes and actions, client and team member annual satisfaction questionnaires and client end of service feedback forms.

The manager undertook quality assurance visits to people in their own homes in order to monitor staff care practice.