7 June 2018
During a routine inspection
Radfield Home Care Herefordshire and South Shropshire is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. Not everyone using the service 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 10 people using the service on the day of our inspection.
There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection visit, who was also the director 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’s relatives told us staff supported their family members safely in their own homes. Staff had received training in, and understood, how to protect people from abuse or discrimination. The risks to people were assessed, recorded and plans put in place to manage these. People received a consistent and reliable service. Pre-employment checks were completed to ensure prospective staff were suitable to support people in their homes. Staff supported people to manage their medicines safely and took steps to protect them from infections.
Staff received ongoing support and training to enable them to work safely and effectively. People had the level of support they needed to prepare their meals and drinks, and any associated risks were assessed. Staff helped people to seek professional medical advice and treatment, when necessary. People’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were understood and promoted by staff and management.
People enjoyed positive, caring and respectful relationships with staff who knew them well. People’s involvement in decision-making was actively encouraged. Staff respected people’s rights to privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.
People received person-centred care and support, which reflected their individual needs and preferences. People’s care plans were individual to them, and were followed by staff. People and their relatives knew how to complain about the service, and had confidence they would be listened to. The provider had systems in place to assess and address people's wishes for their end-of-life care.
The registered manager promoted a positive, open culture within the service. Staff felt valued and well supported by the management team in their work. Staff and management worked collaboratively with external health and social care professionals to ensure people's needs were met. Systems and procedures were in place to monitor and address the quality of the service people received.