We carried out a review of the data available to us about Homecare Southlodge on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Homecare Southlodge, you can give feedback on this service.
Homecare Southlodge is a domiciliary care agency providing regulated activity personal care to 13 older people, some of which had disabilities. Care was delivered to people in their own homes.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received safe care, with any potential risks managed well. Medicines were safely administered with the provider ensuring any accidents or incidents were appropriately responded to. Staff understood how to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. Staff were safely recruited.
Staff received appropriate training and supervision to enable them to carry out their roles. People received additional support from healthcare professionals and were supported to maintain healthy diets.
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.
Staff were compassionate and knew their jobs well. People felt well cared for and that their privacy and dignity was respected. Where they were able to, people were supported to be independent.
Care record were personalised and guided staff to ensure they could respond to individualised need. People were supported to express their end of life wishes. Any complaints were appropriately responded to.
The registered manager had good oversight and management of the service. They understood their responsibilities and worked in partnership to achieve positive outcomes.
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 18 December 2019)
Why we inspected
This inspection was based on the previous rating of the service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Homecare Southlodge is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 20 people at the time of the inspection. This included older people and those with physical or learning disabilities.
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
People received a safe service from staff who were safely recruited. Staff understood how to recognise and report potential abuse. Medicines were managed safely to ensure people received them when they needed to. Infection control was effectively managed. Any accidents and incidents were recorded and fully investigated.
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 were supported to eat and drink as necessary, and the service helped them to engage with healthcare professionals. Staff received regular supervision, training and appraisal to support them to be competent in their roles.
Staff treated people with dignity and respect, whilst encouraging them to be as independent as they were able to be. People and relatives were happy with the care received.
The registered manager supported people, relatives and staff well. Mechanisms were in place for people to provide feedback on the service received, and quality checks were used to drive improvement.
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 08 December 2018).
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.
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults and younger disabled adults.
Not everyone using Homecare Southlodge receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection 19 people were receiving care from Homecare Southlodge.
There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.
At our last inspection of 12 September 2017 we found a breach of regulations in relation to seeking consent from people. Staff were not always clear on the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and how to apply this to their roles.
Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve the key question ‘Effective’ to at least good. At this inspection we found improvements had been made to enhance staff knowledge of the MCA; however, we identified other areas for improvement.
We found one breach of the regulations in relation to staffing. The provider did not ensure that they obtained staff employment history, nor did they always act to ensure staff provided full professional references. The provider could not always be assured of staff experience in a health and social care role or explain gaps in staff employment history.
Improvements were also needed to ensure that quality assurance systems were effective in ensuring that issues in service delivery were addressed in a timely manner. The registered manager did not ensure that medicines administration records (MAR) were always checked in a timely manner, nor did they identify the issues that we found at this inspection.
Medicines record keeping required improvement to ensure that staff were able to explain reasons for any gaps or omissions in prompting people with their medicines. People’s medicines records did not include a record of medicines prescribed, the reason for taking them and any possible side effects.
We also made a recommendation to the provider in relation to the personalisation of people’s care records. Care plans would benefit from reflecting people’s preferences in relation to any dietary choices or day to day preferences, and we recommended the provider review each person’s care plan to ensure this is updated.
Relatives felt that their family members received safe care from the service, and that staff supported them well. Staff were clear on the steps to take to prevent and control infection. People’s risk assessments clearly highlighted the potential risks that people faced, and guidance was in place to support staff to mitigate their occurrence. Staff knew how to identify and take action should there be any suspected abuse.
Staff were now clear on the principles of the MCA, and how this applied to their role. People were supported by staff to access healthcare professionals at times that they needed them, as well as being supported with their daily food and fluid intake.
People received support from staff that were caring and kind. People felt that their privacy and dignity was respected, and staff accommodated people’s religious and cultural beliefs. People were involved in decisions about the care and support that they received.
Care plans were regularly reviewed to ensure that they reflected people’s needs, with the involvement of the person and people that were important to them. Where people were receiving end of life care the provider accommodated their wishes. A complaints policy was in place to guide people as to how to raise their concern and hold the provider accountable to investigate.
Views of the registered manager were positive in both the care they provided to people, and the support offered to staff. The registered manager ensured that people’s views were sought and was aware of their responsibilities to the Care Quality Commission.
Homecare Southlodge provides support and personal care to people, some of whom have dementia and learning disabilities, in their own homes. At the time of our inspection six people were using the service.
This service had changed their location and therefore was re-registered with the CQC as a new service. This is the first inspection for this service which was registered in September 2016.
The service had a registered manager in place. 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.
At this inspection we found that the service provided staff with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) training, however staff had limited knowledge in applying the principles in practice. There was a risk that staff had not worked within the MCA and therefore people were not appropriately supported to make their own decisions when needed. This was a breach of regulation 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
Staff told us they were provided with on-going advice and guidance from the management team as required. However, staff had not received regular one-to-one supervision and appraisal meetings with the registered manager to discuss their developmental needs. We have made a recommendation about this.
Staff had the knowledge and skills to meet people’s care needs. They undertook regular training courses as appropriate for their role. People chose what they wanted to eat and drink and staff assisted people in preparing their meals. People were up-to-date with their routine health appointments and received professional support as appropriate.
People were provided with safe care at the service. Staff followed safeguarding vulnerable adult’s procedures and reported their concerns in line with the service’s policies and procedures. Risk assessments were carried out to ensure that people had the necessary support to manage risks. Staffing levels provided were sufficient which ensured that people had the support they required. The service followed safe staff recruitment processes. People were assisted to take their medicines as prescribed.
Staff followed people’s care plans to meet their individual needs. People were involved and made decisions about the care they wanted to receive. The service encouraged people’s relatives to take part in their care planning. We found that staff were caring and respected people’s dignity when providing personal care. People had support to stay independent for as long as it was possible.
The service responded to people’s care needs as necessary. Staff used daily notes to record activities taking place at the service and shared this information with the team. People were encouraged to take part in the initial assessment process which ensured their participation in the care planning. People and their relatives were provided with opportunities to share their experiences and to provide feedback about the service.
Staff told us the registered manager was approachable and provided good leadership at the service. Regular team meeting were used to discuss people’s well- being and the support they required. Systems were in place to keep staff informed about the service’s policies and the procedures to ensure consistent care. The registered manager observed staff’s performance and took actions to address the issues identified.