Background to this inspection
Updated
16 August 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector, and an assistant inspector who made calls to people and staff.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 10 June 2019 and ended on 11 June 2019. We visited the office location on 11 June 2019.
What we did before the inspection
We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it’s the last inspection in 2016. This included information that the provider must notify us about. We also asked for feedback from professionals who work in the local authority commissioning and safeguarding teams. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager, the quality officer, three staff, four people who used the service and two relatives. We reviewed people’s care records and systems for running and monitoring the service.
After the inspection –
We asked the provider to send to send us some evidence to validate our judgements.
Updated
16 August 2019
About the service
360HC Ltd is a domiciliary care service which provides care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 45 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service was absolutely focused on providing exceptional standards of person-centred, caring support for people.
People had strong, meaningful relationships with the staff. They received care which always had their wishes, preferences and individual needs at its heart. The registered manager and provider had an extremely strong, person-centred vision for the service, and employed staff who were passionate in their approach to improving people’s independence, dignity and quality of life. The service found ways to continue to support people safely even when this meant reducing the number of calls if this improved the well-being of people and their relatives.
360HC Ltd put people at the heart of decisions about their care. People were given time and support to express how they preferred things to be done, and this was always respected. Care plans were written with people over a period of time to ensure all important detail was captured.
People received exceptional person-centred care, which was highly responsive to their needs and empowered them to achieve meaningful goals.
People who used the service had absolute choice and control over their care, and the provider developed strong links with other health and social care professionals to ensure goals were achieved.
End of life care available to people was exceptional. Staff had been provided with training and support from palliative care specialists who helped improve their understanding, confidence and knowledge. Known staff provided care when people needed it, and were also able to support people’s relatives effectively.
People had access to information which empowered them to understand what good care should look like, and there were robust formal and informal means of raising concerns or complaints. Action was always taken, and the provider saw all feedback as a learning opportunity which may improve the service further.
There was high-quality leadership in the service, and a very high level of caring for and supporting staff. Staff had real pride in their role, and made a difference to people’s lives. People, their relatives and staff were highly involved in the drive to promote continuous learning and improvement in the service and the care it provided. Strong links had been developed with other health and social care professionals which enabled the provider to deliver consistently person-centred care.
Staff were recruited safely, well trained, and people had consistent staff providing their care. The service was very reliable, and people were consulted when any changes to their planned calls needed to be made. There was a good standard of information showing how staff could minimise any risks, and people received their medicines safely.
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 supported people well with all aspects of nutrition, and helped people to attend or prepare for health appointments as needed.
Rating at last inspection: At our last inspection in October 2016 we rated the service as good. At this inspection we found the provider and management team had embedded strong practices which had very positive impact on people. We have now rated the service as Outstanding in three of our key questions, which means its overall rating is also Outstanding.
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.