Background to this inspection
Updated
22 August 2019
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 team consisted of two ASC inspectors and an Expert by Experience who made telephone calls to people, their relatives and staff. 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 the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 15 May 2019 and ended on 23 May 2019. We visited the office location on 15 May 2019.
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. 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. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with five people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager and area manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included ten people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We also viewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality monitoring and complaints and compliments.
After the inspection
We requested further information from the registered manager related to the service. This was provided promptly.
Updated
22 August 2019
About the service
Willow Tree Homecare Ltd is a domiciliary care agency and provides personal care and support to people in their own homes in Bournemouth and Poole.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. People said they felt safe with staff, who had the training and skills they needed to provide care safely and effectively. People’s opinion varied regarding whether they had regular staff who arrived when expected.
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’s physical, mental health and social needs were assessed. There were regular reviews to ensure care was meeting their needs. Staff were well supported through training and supervision. They were proactive in supporting people to manage their health.
People and relatives said they were involved in decisions about their or their loved one’s care. Where people had preferences regarding the gender of staff who provided their care, this was not always respected. However when we raised an issue with the registered manager, this was rectified.
People, relatives and staff expressed confidence in the way the service was run. They described it as “well run”. The registered manager was readily available to people, relatives and staff. They had an open and honest approach to complaints. Quality monitoring had improved.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 11 July 2018).
In October 2018 we carried out a focused inspection to answer the question "Is the service safe?" and “Is the service well led?.” This was in response to information of concern we received regarding several people in the Poole area who were not receiving their package of care during the period of 31 August 2018 to 15 September 2018. We found the service was not always safe and the service was not always well led.
The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.
During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as requires improvement overall or in any of the key questions.
The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.