Holistic Care 4U

Updated 17 January 2020

The inspection

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

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 service 48 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.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service, including notifications. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us. We considered information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. 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. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager, care manager and a care worker. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's care records. We looked at a staff file in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 17 January 2020

About the service

Holistic Care 4U is a domiciliary care provider providing care to people living in their own homes, so they can live as independently as possible. At the time of our inspection seven people were using the service. Not everyone using Holistic Care 4U services 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. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

People were protected from abuse. Staff understood how to recognise and report any concerns they had about people's safety and well-being. The provider followed safe recruitment processes to ensure the right people were employed. Staff training included a thorough induction and ongoing training to ensure staff had the knowledge and skills they required to meet people's needs. There was enough staff to keep people safe. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and mitigated.

Where people received assistance to take medicines, records were kept so this was done safely. When people required assistance to eat or drink, the provider ensured this was planned to meet their preferences and their current assessed need. People had support, when required, to liaise with healthcare professionals to ensure they remained well.

People had developed caring relationships with the staff who supported them, and people told us they treated them with respect. People were appreciative and spoke fondly of staff. The provider had developed good working relationships with other health and social care professionals to support the needs of people using the service.

People were involved in their care and consulted when planning and agreeing their care and support needs. People and relatives felt confident any concerns they raised would be listened to and appropriate action taken. 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.

People, relatives and staff spoke positively about how the service was managed. There were systems in place to manage and monitor the quality of the service provided. The management team had regular contact with people using the service and staff. They welcomed suggestions on how they could develop the service and make improvements. The registered manager liaised with other health and social care professionals to ensure a high-quality service was being delivered.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 14/11/2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned full comprehensive inspection to ensure that the service was meeting the regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and CQC.

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.