Background to this inspection
Updated
18 February 2022
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 team consisted of one inspector and one Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The Expert By Experience’s area of expertise was domiciliary care services.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
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 provider 24 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 14 December 2021 and ended on 22 December 2021. We visited the office location on 14 and 16 December 2021. Calls were made to people and staff on 15 and 17 December 2021. Feedback was given to the registered manager and the provider on 22 December 2021.
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 sought feedback from partner agencies and professionals and reviewed on-going monitoring such as information received. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with nine relatives about their experience of the service provided. We spoke with six staff members, including the registered manager, care-coordinator and three care workers. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We looked at three people’s care records including medication records. We reviewed a variety of records including records relating to the management of the service.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. The provider took immediate steps to address the concerns found during the inspection.
Updated
18 February 2022
About the service
Blessed Hearts Home Care is a care at home service providing personal care for 22 people at the time of inspection some of whom were living with dementia or had a physical disability. The service supports people living in their own homes.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Staff often arrived late to people’s care call, and, on some occasions, people had experienced missed calls. Some people’s care plans and risk assessments required clearer guidance for staff to follow about their health needs. Medicines were not always managed safely. Several staff files contained unexplored gaps in their employment history. There was an audit schedule in place, but we found the provider’s audits had not highlighted issues found during the inspection.
Most people’s care plans and risks assessment set out their needs and the support they needed from staff to stay safe. People were supported by staff who had been safely recruited. Steps had been taken to protect people from the risk of infection. Accidents and incidents were recorded, monitored and followed up.
Staff had the necessary skills and training to support people safely. People were supported to eat and drink where they needed support in this area. 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 provided people’s care with kindness and respect. People and their relatives were involved in care planning and reviews.
Staff felt supported by management. The registered manager gathered feedback from people who used the service. The provider worked with external agencies and professionals to ensure people received the support they required.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The first rating for this service was required improvement (published 15 November 2019) and there was one breach of regulation. The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 30 June 2021) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
This service has been in Special Measures since 30 June 2021. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.
Why we inspected
This was a focused inspection to follow up on the previous breaches.
We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on Inspection carried out on 31 March 2021 and 15 October 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve the standards of quality and safety, improve safe care and treatment, good governance and fit and proper persons.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe, caring, effective and well-led which contain those requirements.
The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Blessed Hearts Home Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.