Oaktree Homecare Services Limited

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

We identified issues with the management of the service. We found there were insufficient risk assessments in place to provide safe guidance to staff when providing care. Care plans lacked personalised information, and we found gaps in records to show that complaints were dealt with in line with best practice.

The service had grown significantly since the last inspection and we were concerned that there was insufficient management oversight and input to ensure quality care was provided. We found contradictory information on some care plans in relation to mental capacity assessments, and mobility issues. We found some complaints documentation had not been completed to evidence actions taken, although people told us complaints were dealt with.

The management team knew people’s needs and we found staff to be well-informed, so this mitigated against some of the concerns identified.

The service had some systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided. These included spot checks and reviews, although review documentation was not always fully completed.

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; but the completed documentation did not always evidence this practice.

People and their relatives found the care staff kind and caring, and skilled to do their job. People were treated with dignity and respect.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe. Staff had completed safeguarding training and understood their role in identifying and reporting any concerns of potential abuse or poor practice.

Staff recruitment was safe, and people told us they usually had a consistent team of care staff.

Staff told us they enjoyed working for the service and received support and training to carry out their role. Records evidenced that supervision and training took place.

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

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the consistency and quality of the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection we rated this service good (18 December 2020).

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to insufficient risk assessments and the governance of the service.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information, we may inspect sooner.

Oaktree Homecare Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to adults living in their own homes, with a range of disabilities. At the time of the service it was providing care to 13 people.

People’s experience of the service

Recruitment processes and procedures were not always safe. Essential checks on staff had not always taken place on staff before they started working for the service. This meant people were potentially placed at risk of harm.

People and their relatives told us they were very happy with the service. They told us staff were kind, competent and staff continuity meant that staff understood their likes and dislikes and how best to support them. They also told us the service was flexible and care staff met their cultural and religious needs.

Staff received training and supervision to enable them to carry out their role effectively. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed.

Risks identified with people’s health, medical and care needs had been assessed and documented with clear guidance on how to minimise the identified risk to keep people safe.

Safeguarding systems and processes were in place to keep people safe and staff knew what to do in the event of any safeguarding concerns.

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 were supported to access external health professionals to help promote good health and wellbeing. Health and social care professionals spoke well of the service provided. They told us the registered manager was responsive and had worked very effectively with people with complex health conditions and social situations.

Quality assurance processes were in place and included spot checks, reviews and a survey of people’s views. However, the registered manager recognised the need for formalising these processes further. The provider had purchased a new electronic care system to be implemented before the end of 2020 which would support management tasks as well as care planning and staff rosters.

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 28 January 2019 and this is the first inspection.

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

Why we inspected

We carried out an inspection of this service on 24 November 2020.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information, we may inspect sooner.