Archived: HomeCare Services

Updated 13 September 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 checked 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.

Before the inspection we reviewed all the information we held about the service. This included information we received since the service was registered. We sought feedback from the local authority prior to our visit. We used the information the provider sent to us in the also Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

We gave 48 hours notice of the inspection because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in. The inspection site visit activity started on 18 July 2018 and ended on 7 August 2018. We visited the office location on these dates to see the provider; and to review care records, policies and procedures. One inspector carried out this inspection.

We spoke with two people and one of their relatives over the telephone to seek feedback. We received feedback from the local GP service.

We spoke with the provider and two care workers as part of the inspection.

During the inspection we reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records, including care planning documentation and medication records. We also looked at two staff files, including staff recruitment and training records, records relating to the management of the service and a variety of policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.

Updated 13 September 2018

We inspected Homecare Services on 18 July and 7 August 2018. We gave 48 hours notice of the inspection because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in. This was the first time we had inspected the service since they were registered in August 2017.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to older people. Five people received care and support when we inspected.

The owner or provider of this service was also the manager. There is no requirement for a registered manager to be in post in this situation. 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. We have referred to the owner/manager as the provider throughout this report.

The provider had failed to keep themselves up to date regarding changes to best practice and their responsibilities around meeting the regulations. This meant systems were not always in place in areas such as medicines support, assessment of risks to people needed to be more robust and appropriate training for staff. Also records relating to the recruitment of staff, their supervision and quality assurance checks which had been carried out were not robust.

The provider responded quickly during the inspection to design and implement systems which were appropriate. The provider told us they had sought information from recognised best practice agencies. They had also subscribed to a consultancy for policy support to ensure they remained up to date in the future. This demonstrated their commitment to continuous improvement.

People benefited from a well-managed person-centred service. Staff knew their preferences and likes. Staff treated people with respect and dignity was always maintained. People and their relatives felt the service was well co-ordinated and that they truly were involved in designing and reviewing their care.

Professionals told us the service provided consistent care to people and worked in such a way with other agencies that people’s health was monitored well. This approach meant people did not deteriorate or require further health services on occasions.

Staff morale was positive and they understood their responsibilities. Staff all demonstrated a person-centred attitude to their work. Also, they had a good understanding of how to safeguard people from avoidable 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 felt very confident to approach the provider with any concerns as did staff. The provider was very hands on and frequently delivered support for people. People described the service as a team who worked together for the benefit of people who used the service.

A breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 was found during this inspection. This related to good governance. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the end of this report.