Background to this inspection
Updated
9 April 2020
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
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
This inspection was announced.
We gave the service 48 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 13 March 2020 and ended on 13 March 2020. We visited the office location on 13 March 2020.
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 and professionals who work with the service.
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 four members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, care coordinator and one support worker.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 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 provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records and spoke to the local authority commissioners. We also spoke with two people and five relatives who use the service.
Updated
9 April 2020
About the service
Edesy Homecare is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care in people's own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing care and support to 33 people. 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. 18 people were being supported with personal care at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Since our last inspection, we found improvements had been made to the management of people’s risks and medicines. Staff now had the information and skills they needed to support people safely. However more time was needed to ensure these improvements were fully embedded and in place for all people.
Staff were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and to report any concerns or accidents. However, the registered manager had not always notified CQC of any significant events in line with their registration. This meant CQC were unable to monitor incidents which had affected people who use the service and any follow up actions taken by the provider.
The registered manager had made improvements to the systems used to check and monitor the quality of the service. Quality reviews and surveys were carried out to gather information about people's views. Spot checks of staff practices were also completed to ensure the quality of the service was maintained. Relatives and staff reported that they felt the service was well managed and the managers were approachable.
People reported that staff followed infection control guidance and had access and used personal protective equipment when supporting people with their personal hygiene.
The registered manager was aware of safe recruitment practices. Suitable numbers of staff were employed to meet people’s needs. A new staff rostering system was being implemented to enhance the registered manager ability to monitor the arrival and departure times of staff.
People and relatives told us they felt the staff were kind and caring. They felt comfortable in raising concerns to staff and the provider. The provider took actions on any feedback and learnt from incidents.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 28 August 2019) and there was a breach of regulation.
The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations from the previous inspection; however a further breach of regulation was found in relation to notifying CQC of significant incidents.
Why we inspected
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions ‘Is this service safe and Well-led?’ which contain those requirements.
The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Edesy Homecare on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement
We have identified a breach of regulation in relation to notifying CQC of any significant events. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.