Archived: MiHomecare - Huntingdon

Updated 28 May 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.

This inspection took place on 5 May 2016 and was announced. This was because staff and manager could be out. We wanted to make sure they were in. The inspection was completed by one inspector and an 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.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at this and information we hold about the service. This included the number and type of notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

During the inspection we visited and spoke with two people in their homes and spoke with six people and four relatives by telephone. We also spoke with the manager, an operations’ manager, a quality manager, a field care supervisor and care co - ordinator, one senior care worker and two care staff.

We looked at five people’s care records, managers’ and staff meeting minutes. We looked at medicine administration records and records in relation to the management of the service such as checks regarding people’s homes environmental safety. We also looked at staff recruitment, supervision and appraisal process records, training records, complaint, quality assurance and audit records.

Updated 28 May 2016

This inspection took place on 5 May 2016 and was announced.

MiHomecare - Huntingdon is a domiciliary care service that is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. Their office is based on the outskirts of Huntingdon. The service provided included that for older people and people with a physical disability as well as people living with dementia. The service is provided in Huntingdon and the surrounding towns and villages. At the time of our inspection there were 60 people using the service.

The service did not have a registered manager. They left in December 2014. There had been two other interim managers prior to the current manager who had been in post since November 2015. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff were recruited in a safe way and checks were in place to confirm this People’s assessed care needs were met in a timely manner by suitably trained and qualified staff.

Staff were trained and knowledgeable about the procedures to ensure people were kept safe from harm. This included a thorough understanding of organisations with responsibilities for investigating any or potential concerns such as the local safe guarding authority.

Medicines management and administration was undertaken in a safe way. This was by staff whose competency to do this safely was regularly assessed.

The manager was aware of the process to be followed should any person have a need to be lawfully deprived of their liberty. They and staff were knowledgeable about the situations where an assessment of people’s mental capacity was required. The service was working within the Mental Capacity Act 2005 code of practice.

Staff had a good knowledge of the people they cared for and what people’s level of independence was. Care was provided with privacy and dignity. Appropriate risk management strategies and records were in place for emergency events and subjects including falls and medicines administration.

People were provided with various opportunities to be involved in their care needs assessment

People’s health and nutritional care needs were identified by staff and met by staff and through a range of health care professionals including a GP occupational therapist or GP. Staff ensured people ate and drank sufficient quantities.

People were supported with their independence to live in their own home as long as they wanted to.

Staff were provided with a formal induction, regular and effective training, supervision and mentoring that was appropriate to the staff’s roles.

People were provided with information as to how to make and raise suggestion and improvements to their care. The provider took appropriate action to ensure any complaints were addressed to the complainant’s satisfaction.

A range of effective audit and quality assurance procedures were in place. The provider had processes in place to help ensure that the CQC is notified about events that they are required, by law, to do so.