Background to this inspection
Updated
17 May 2022
We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.
Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.
Inspection team
This 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.
Registered Manager
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced. We contacted the registered manager on the 24 March 2022 to ensure they were able to support the remote inspection process.
Inspection activity started on 24 March 2022 and ended on 19 April 2022. During this time, we contacted family members, social care professionals and reviewed documents we requested from the registered manager. Between the 24 March 2022 and 10 April 2022, we reviewed documents we received from the registered manager. On 04, 17 and 18 April 2022 we received feedback from social care professionals, family members and staff about the service.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.
During the inspection
This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as video calls, e-mail and phone calls to enable us to engage with people, family members, staff and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation. We received feedback from three family members, one social care professional, three staff and the registered manager. We reviewed three people’s care records, staff’s training records, recruitment. Other documents including policies and procedures were discussed and reviewed during this inspection relevant to how the service operated.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.
Updated
17 May 2022
About the service
My Homecare Hertfordshire is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people some of whom may live with dementia in their own homes or flats. At the time of the inspection four people were supported with personal care needs.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People using the service could not give us feedback about the care and support they received due to living with dementia. We spoke with their family members some of whom lived in the same home and were able to observe how staff interacted with people.
Family members told us they were very happy with the service and they felt people were safe. Staff never missed a visit and if they were late the office staff alerted family members.
People were supported by the same members of staff which meant staff knew what risks were involved in people’s care and mitigated those. The registered manager completed risk assessments to ensure they could lower any risk to people’s health and welfare. Staff were recruited safely.
Staff were happy with the support and the training they received to understand their roles and responsibilities. The registered manager was a member of a local care provider association. This helped them keep up to date with legislation, training for staff and current best practice guidance.
Where there was a need staff supported people to have food and drinks. 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 registered manager was working on completing mental capacity assessments for people who may have lacked capacity to take certain decisions.
Family members told us that staff and the registered manager were very caring, respectful and protective of people’s dignity and privacy. They told us how the registered manager and staff spoke to people and involved them in the care and support they received even if they were not able to understand or respond verbally.
The registered manager was working to develop people’s care plans with more personalised detail, they and staff observed and learnt by supporting people over a period of time. Family members told us the care and support people received was as people preferred.
People using the service had not relied on staff for support to maintain relationships to avoid social isolation. However, the registered manager and staff worked together with family members to fulfil people’s wishes.
The registered manager was in daily contact with people, family members and staff. They had an in-depth knowledge about every person using the service. They were spot checking staff working practices, gathered feedback from people and family members. They were also developing more in-depth governance systems to ensure when the service was growing, they could effectively assess the quality and safety of the care people received.
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 16 April 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
This was an ‘inspection using remote technology’. This means we did not visit the office location and instead used technology such as electronic file sharing to gather information, and video and phone calls to engage with people using the service as part of this performance review and assessment.