Registered Area Office Home Care

Updated 8 July 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 one inspector.

Service and service type

The Registered Area Office Home Care is a domiciliary care and supported living service. It provides personal care to people living in bedsits, flats and in houses of multiple occupation. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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 a short notice period of the inspection because it is a domiciliary care and supported living 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 May and ended on 25 May 2021. We visited the office location on 18 May.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service and we viewed the providers website. 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 five people who used the service and received feedback from a relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and medication records. We looked at 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 continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. After the inspection, we looked at training data and quality assurance records the registered manager sent us.

Updated 8 July 2021

About the service

The Registered Area Office Home Care provides personal care to people. People were living in bedsits, flats and in houses of multiple occupation. It is part of the Disabilities Trust and provides support to younger adults with autism, disabilities and those going through rehabilitation. 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. At the time of the inspection there were approximately 19 people receiving support.

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

The service had a positive culture that was person-centred, open and inclusive. People had individual plans of care and risk assessments. Care was person centred. There was a strong emphasis on putting people first. People were involved and empowered. People described care staff as being caring and helpful. People told us the care staff understood their needs and respected their independence. People told us, “We have a chat, which I like”, and, “It’s my flat so I come and go as I please”.

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.

The service had a registered manager in place. It was well led, and the registered manager was aware of their legal responsibilities. Staff were enthusiastic and keen to talk about their role. Staff were proud of the service and their work. They felt supported within their roles and held the registered manager in high regard. Recruitment practices were robust, and staff received training appropriate to their role and the needs of the people receiving a service. People described care staff as responsive and respectful. People said they were asked how they wanted to be supported and their preferences were followed. People told us they felt safe receiving care, they knew how to contact the office if they had a question or concern. People told us, “If I need help, I just ask”, and, “I am happy”.

Rating at last inspection and why we inspected

This service was registered with us on 18 March 2019 and this is the first inspection. This was a planned comprehensive inspection.

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.

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