MSH Health Care

Updated 14 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 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.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission until April 2021. A new manager had been appointed and was in the process of applying to be registered. Registered managers are 'registered persons'. 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 the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 29 April 2021 and ended on 18 May 2021. We visited the office location on 29 April 2021 and contacted people who used the service, relatives of people and care staff by telephone and email to gather their views between 10 and 18 May 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we held about the service including feedback from the local authority and notifications of significant events the provider had sent to us. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three members of the management team. We reviewed the care records for two people and four staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. We also looked at a range of records relating to the management of the service.

After the inspection

We contacted ten people who used the service and nine relatives to gather their views. We also contacted five care staff to gather their views of the service. We looked at additional records including three people’s care files and three staff files. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 14 July 2021

About the service

MSH Health Care provides personal care to people in their own homes. The service is based in Dalton-in-Furness and provides support to people in the Furness, South Lakeland and Allerdale districts of Cumbria. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive a regulated activity. 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 our inspection 98 people were receiving personal care.

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

People were safe and protected from abuse. There were enough staff to support people. People received support from a small team of staff who they knew. Staff supported people to take their medicines safely. Staff followed robust infection prevention and control procedures to protect people from infection. The provider learnt from incidents to further improve the safety of the service.

The provider carried out thorough assessments of people’s needs. People received the support they required. Staff were trained and competent to provide people’s care. Staff provided the support people needed with preparing and enjoying their meals and drinks. Staff liaised with healthcare services to ensure people received the support they needed. People made decisions about their care and their rights were protected. 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.

Staff were kind and caring to people. People valued the care they received. Staff asked people for their views about their care and respected the decisions they made. Staff promoted people’s privacy, dignity and independence.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and took account of their preferences. People received high-quality, person-centred care. The provider had an effective procedure for receiving and responding to complaints about the service. Concerns received were used to improve the service provided. People received compassionate care and were supported to remain at home as they reached the end of life.

The provider had developed a positive, person-centred culture. The provider, management team and staff were committed to providing people with high-quality care. The provider and staff understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour. The provider asked for people’s views about the care they received. They used feedback received to ensure the continuous improvement of the service. Staff and people who used the service said they would recommend it.

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 5 July 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected:

The service was registered with us on 5 July 2019 and this was the first inspection for the service.

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.