Background to this inspection
Updated
8 January 2021
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 was carried out by an inspector and two Experts 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
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 two working days’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started when we visited the office location on the 1 December 2020 and ended on the 3 December 2020.
What we did before the inspection
Before the inspection we looked at information we held about the service. This information included any statutory notifications that the provider had sent to the CQC. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. Other information we reviewed included the previous inspection report. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with two people using the service and 22 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, two care coordinators, six care workers and one social care professional. We also received written feedback from one healthcare professional.
We reviewed a variety of records which related to people's individual care and the running of the service. These records included care files of three people using the service, three staff employment records, staff training and medicines administration records, quality monitoring records and some policies.
Updated
8 January 2021
About the service
Network Healthcare - Harrow is a is a domiciliary care service. It provides support and personal care to people living in their own homes, some of whom live with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 75 people receiving personal care
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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
At our last inspection we found that that people were at risk of not receiving their planned care and support due to late or missed calls. There was no formal process for checking people’s care calls had taken place and on time. Systems to learn and drive improvement in relation to staff punctuality had also not been in place. At this inspection we found the provider had followed their action plan and made improvements. Systems were in place to monitor care staffs’ timekeeping and to check that calls had not been missed. Quality assurance processes were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service.
People told us they received their visits at the agreed times. Relatives told us the service was flexible and they were kept informed of any changes. No one reported having had a missed visit.
People told us they felt safe when receiving care and were happy with the support they received. Relatives spoke told us they felt their family members were safe when receiving care as regular competent care staff provided people with the care and support, they wanted and needed.
People’s risk assessments were detailed and included guidance for staff to follow to manage and reduce risks to keep people safe.
People had personalised detailed care plans. Care plans contained information to direct or guide staff on how to support people according to their needs and preferences. People had been involved in their development and review and were provided with paper copies which were held in their homes.
People and relatives told us that staff were always kind and respected people’s privacy and dignity
Staff were well-informed about people’s care needs. They undertook training that supported them to have the knowledge and skills to do their job well and to meet people's needs safely. Staff received the support and guidance they needed from the registered manager and other senior staff.
Staff were recruited safely. The had a plan for managing staffing levels and other areas of the service if the COVID-19 pandemic led to shortfalls and emergencies.
Staff were clear of their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. They knew how to recognise and report any concerns they had about people's welfare.
People and their relatives had opportunities to provide feedback about the service. Concerns raised via the survey were followed up with a call from the registered manager to the person to address the issue and to agree a resolution.
Systems were in place to ensure the effective and safe management of medicines. Medicine administration records were regularly audited to check that people had received their prescribed medicines.
Staff were provided with the personal protective equipment (PPE) that they needed. People told us that staff washed their hands and wore PPE during visits.
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 last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 3 September 2019) and there were two 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.
Why we inspected
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 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 requires improvement to good. 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 Network Healthcare - Harrow 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.