Background to this inspection
Updated
10 December 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
One inspector and an Expert by Experience carried out this inspection.
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. 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 period notice of the inspection so the provider could contact people we wanted to talk to and make sure they agreed to take part in the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 16 November 2021 and ended on 22 November 2021. We visited the office location on 18 November 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed all the information we had received about the service since our last focused inspection. We contacted five social care professionals who worked closely with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
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.
During the inspection
We spoke with two people supported by the provider, and seven relatives 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 three people’s care records, and records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We continued to look at records the registered manager shared with us, and responses from social care professionals. We considered all the evidence collected during the inspection to inform our judgements.
Updated
10 December 2021
About the service
Melody Care Farnborough Ltd is a home care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, 47 people received care services from Melody Care Farnborough Ltd. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. We only inspect 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 received care and support that was effective, based on detailed assessments and care plans, and delivered by staff with the necessary skills and training. 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 in a caring way. The service focused on people’s independence and dignity, and respecting them as individuals. There were good relationships between people and their care workers. One person’s relative said, “‘There are some lovely girls. They sit and chat which is fantastic.”
People received responsive care. There were processes in place to make sure people received care according to their agreed plans, needs and preferences. There was a focus on mental stimulation, physical activity and social inclusion in people’s care.
The service people received was well led. The service had maintained a corporate image based on values which supported person-centred care and good outcomes for people. There were effective systems in place to manage the service, improve the quality of care people received, and recognise the contribution staff made to people’s care.
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 2 August 2019 and this is the first inspection to give an overall rating.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection to give the service its first overall rating.
We undertook a focused inspection on 3 March 2021 which did not cover all the key areas necessary to give an overall rating. We have used the individual key area rating for one area (safe) from that inspection when calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
You can read the report from our previous focused inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Melody Care Farnborough Ltd on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.