Archived: Open Heart Care Ltd

Open Heart Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing a range of services including personal care for people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the provider was supporting 39 people. 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

Improvements had been made in the way medicines were managed. People we spoke with told us they felt safe when receiving care. The provider had made improvements in relation to the recording and investigation of incidents and accidents. The processes in place for the management of risk had also been improved. There were appropriate processes for the recruitment of care workers.

Care workers completed training and received support to ensure they had the appropriate skills to meet people’s care needs in a safe and effective manner. 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 told us they felt their dignity and privacy was respected with care workers acting in a kind and caring way when providing support. People’s religious and cultural wishes were identified and supported.

Improvements had been made to the way care plans were developed to ensure they identified how the person wanted their care and support provided. The provider now responded to complaints in a timely manner.

The provider had developed a range of quality assurance audits and checks to monitor how care was being provided. People receiving care, relatives and care workers told us they felt the service was well run.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 3 April 2020). 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.

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.

Open Heart Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing a range of services including personal care for people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the provider was supporting 75 people who were receiving 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

Medicines were not always managed in a safe way. Risk management plans were not always detailed and did not give staff clear guidance to help mitigate risks. People were not always notified when care workers were running late. Staff were provided with personal protective clothing, but some people told us, staff did not always use them. We made a recommendation to the provider, to follow national guidance in managing infection control.

People's needs were assessed prior to them receiving care and support but people did not always receive a copy of this assessment. This meant people were unclear about the role of staff. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The provider did not always respond to complainants in a timely manner. Care planning was not person centred and lacked information which was important to deliver care and support.

The provider did not have effective quality assurance processes in place. There were no auditing systems in place and the provider did not have good oversight of the day to day running of the service.

Most people were happy with the care they received, and they felt care workers were considerate. People's privacy was respected, and their dignity was 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 good (published 19 October 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement

We identified breaches of regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, complaints, person-centred care and good governance.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information, we may inspect sooner.

Open Heart Care Ltd provides personal care to people in their own homes. They also offer a range of other services including outreach services, companionship cleaning and shopping. At the time of inspection there were 23 people using the service, 17 of whom were receiving personal care. The majority of people were funded by Harrow social services or by direct payments.

The director of the company was also the registered manager for the service. 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.

Auditing and monitoring processes were in place and work was ongoing to ensure these were effective and identified any areas for improvement.

People and relatives were happy with the care and support provided and felt included in discussions about the care people wanted. They felt they were listened to and that the care people received was person centred and met their needs. Staff took time to meet people’s care and support needs in an unhurried and personalised way. People and relatives said staff were kind and caring, treating people with dignity and respect.

Procedures for safeguarding and whistleblowing were in place and staff recognised different types of abuse and knew the reporting process to follow if they had any concerns. Complaints procedures were available and people and relatives were encouraged to express any matters so that they could be addressed.

Risks were identified and assessed and care plans put in place for the action to take to minimise them. People were assessed and involved with their care records, which were individualised and reflected people’s needs and wishes. Staff understood the care each person needed and felt they had the information they needed to provide good care and support to people. Care was taken when matching care workers with people and staff understood people’s religious and cultural needs and respected them.

Recruitment procedures were being followed to ensure only suitable staff were employed by the service. There were enough staff employed to meet people's needs and to provide cover for planned and unplanned absences.

Staff understood how to manage people’s medicines safely so they received them as prescribed. Infection control procedures were being followed by staff and protective personal equipment was provided to staff by the service.

Staff received comprehensive training to provide them with the skills and knowledge to care for people effectively. They were encouraged to undertake recognised qualifications in health and social care and to progress in their careers.

People’s mental capacity was assessed and staff respected people's rights to make choices about the care and support they received. Staff recognised if a person’s capacity deteriorated and knew to report any concerns.

Staff assisted people with meal preparation and listened to what people said they wanted to eat, so their wishes were respected. The service supported people with contacting healthcare professionals. Staff had undertaken first aid training and knew the action to take if someone was unwell and required medical help, including calling the emergency services.

People, relatives and staff felt supported by the registered manager and the office staff and were able to contact them at any time to seek advice. The registered manager strived to provide a good quality service and listened and responded to people’s needs and wishes so that, where necessary, care and support could be adapted to better meet these.