Background to this inspection
Updated
22 June 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team: The inspection team consisted of one inspector.
Service and service type: This service is a domiciliary care service. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. Not everyone using Gateshead Home Support Henshaws Society for Visually Impaired People receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with personal care; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. For people the provider helps with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating, we also consider any wider social care provided.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection: We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit 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.
Inspection site visit activity started on 17 April with a visit to the office location by the inspector. We made telephone calls to people, relatives and staff on 20 May 2019 and 22 May 2019.
What we did: Before the inspection the provider sent us a Provider Information Return. Providers are required to send us information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed information we held about the service and events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We contacted commissioners to seek their feedback. We received no information of concern.
During the site visit we spoke with the deputy manager and the head of residential services and quality assurance. We reviewed a range of records. These included three people’s care records. We also looked at two staff files to check staff recruitment and their training records. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service. After the site visit we contacted one person, one relative and three support workers.
Updated
22 June 2019
About the service: Gateshead Home Support is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses or flats. It provides a service to children, younger and older adults including people who live with a visual or intellectual impairment or acquired brain injury. At the time of inspection four people were using the service.
People’s experience of using this service: At this inspection we found a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This related to governance. The registered manager did not record the way they reviewed, assessed and monitored the quality of service provided. A formal, independent system was not in place to ask people and relatives for feedback about service provision.
Staff monitored people's health and wellbeing and took appropriate action when required to address concerns.
The service assessed risks to the health and well-being of people who use the service and staff. Where risks were identified action was taken to reduce the risk.
Staff understood how to keep people safe and their responsibilities for reporting accidents, incidents or concerns. The registered manager knew how to identify safeguarding concerns and to act on these appropriately.
Recruitment processes were in place to make sure, as far as possible, that people were protected from staff being employed who were not suitable.
People had food and drink to meet their needs. Staff followed advice given by professionals to make sure people received the care they needed.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity were promoted. They said staff supported them in the way they wanted. Staff were responsive to the needs of the people and enabled them to improve and maintain their independence with personal care.
Communication was effective to ensure staff and relatives were kept up-to-date about any changes in people’s care and support needs and the running of the service.
A complaints procedure was available. People told us they would feel confident to speak to the registered manager and staff if they needed to.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection: Good (October 2016).
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating of the service at the last inspection.
Follow up: We identified concerns at this inspection and will ask the provider for an action plan with timescales of improvements to be made. We will therefore re-inspect this service within the published timeframe for services rated requires improvement with a requirement notice.