Background to this inspection
Updated
13 December 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. 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
One inspector carried out this inspection.
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 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 18 November 2019 when we visited the office location and ended on 25 November 2019 when we finished speaking with people and staff.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.
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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with two members of staff including the registered manager and a care worker. We also spoke with four health and social care professionals.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke with a further two members of staff and reviewed documents sent to us by the registered manager.
Updated
13 December 2019
About the service
Active Homecare is a domiciliary agency providing personal and social care to 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 staff do support people with personal care, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection, the service was supporting five people with the regulated activity of personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they were extremely happy with the care they received. They told us Active Homecare was excellent and staff were very caring and kind, and worked in ways that suited people’s individual needs and preferences.
One person told us, “So far, everything [staff] do has been very good, [Active Homecare] have been the best so far. Their care is really superior. It is beautiful for what we require...[staff] are very friendly, they are extremely good, do exactly what we want. [Staff] are always punctual, and we always know who is coming the next day which is really nice as you need to know. They have become part of the family, couldn't be better."
People were supported by regular staff teams who knew them well and had developed positive relationships. People told us staff were very well trained, and the culture the registered manager promoted of compassionate and individual care showed in how staff supported them.
People were treated with respect and supported to do as much as they were able for themselves, with clear defined goals individual to each person.
People experienced flexible care built into their support plans. Staff understood how to recognise when support needed to change to better suit people’s physical or mental health or personal interests.
People told us they felt safe because they were well cared for. Staff were trained in how to identify concerns and keep people safe and were confident about reporting concerns should they arise. Systems enabled good management of risks and the registered manager regularly reviewed these to see if improvements were required. Action was taken to then update people’s risk and support plans to keep them safe.
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 understood about giving people choice and asking for consent before delivering any care.
People had their needs fully assessed to include anything of importance to each individual such as hobbies and interests or the impact of care on their relatives. This meant people experienced very personalised care.
People who required it, were supported with meals and drinks. This included people who required specialist diets to support good health. Staff ensured all health needs were met and supported people with appointments, referrals and health advice.
Staff supported people to minimise the risk of infection as staff followed best practice guidance and used disposable equipment to prevent the spread of infection.
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 29/01/2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.
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.