Archived: Millom Home Care

Updated 23 August 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place between 3 May 2018 and 5 July 2018 and was announced.

We contacted the registered manager of the service on 2 May 2018 to give notice of our visit on 3 May 2018 because this is small service and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure they would be available to speak with us.

Inspection site visit activity started on 3 May 2018 and ended on 5 July 2018. It included speaking to people who used the service and to the staff employed. We visited the office location on 3 May 2018 and 5 July 2018 to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records, staff records and records related to the management of the service.

The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

During the inspection we contacted six people who used the service by telephone. We spoke with the registered manager, and care team leader during our visits to the service office. We also contacted six staff members by telephone to gather their views. We looked at care records for five people who used the service and recruitment, training and personnel records for seven staff. We also looked at records around how the service was managed including quality audits, records of staff meetings and feedback the registered manager had received from people who used the service and their families.

Before the inspection, the registered manager completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks for key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the information we held about the agency, including the information in the PIR, before we visited the service. We also contacted local health and social care teams to gather their views of the service. We used the information we held about the service to plan our inspection.

Updated 23 August 2018

We carried out this inspection between 3 May 2018 and 5 July 2018. The inspection was announced. We contacted the registered manager of the service on 2 May 2018 to give notice of our visit on 3 May 2018 because this is a small service and we needed to ensure the registered manager would be available to speak with us.

This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered in March 2017.

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 people, people living with dementia, adults who have a learning disability, adults who have a physical disability and adults who have mental health needs. The service is provided in Millom and the surrounding area.

Not everyone using Millom Home Care 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. There were 34 people receiving regulated activity at the time we carried out our inspection.

There was an experienced registered manager responsible for the day-to-day management of 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.

People told us this was a good service and said they would recommend it.

The staff knew people well and treated them in a kind and caring way. People valued the service they received.

There were enough staff to support people. People received support from a small team of staff who they knew. Safe systems were used when new staff were employed to check they were suitable to work in people’s homes.

The staff were well trained and skilled to care for people. They knew how to provide people’s care and to protect people from abuse and harm.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People consented to the care they received and their rights were respected.

People’s needs were assessed and care was planned and provided to meet their needs.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and wishes. If people requested changes to their planned care these were agreed. People were asked for their views and the registered manager took action in response to their comments.

People’s privacy, dignity and independence were promoted.

People knew the registered manager and how they could contact her. The registered manager set high standards and checked the service to ensure these were met.

People received the support they needed to take their medicines. The registered manager and care staff worked with local and specialist services to ensure people received the care they needed.

The registered provider had a procedure for receiving and responding to complaints about the service. Where concerns were raised with the registered manager she took prompt action to resolve the issue.