Background to this inspection
Updated
26 October 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 team consisted of two inspectors.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
Notice of inspection
We gave 24 hours notice of the inspection to ensure the registered manager was available. Inspection activity started on 27 September 2021 and ended on 30 September 2021. We visited the office location on 28 September 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it registered with CQC and sought feedback from the local authority, professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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. We also spoke with one person and four relatives of people who use the service about their experiences of the care provided. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We looked at two people’s care plans, two staff recruitment records and a variety of information relating to the management of the service. We spoke with the Registered Manager and the Operational Director.
After the inspection
We spoke with two professionals who work with the service and three members of care staff. We reviewed a selection of the provider’s policies and additional care records relating to the management of diabetes.
Updated
26 October 2021
About the service
HoneyBee Homecare is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to adults in their own homes. This includes people with dementia and physical disabilities. 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. At the time of inspection, the service was providing personal care to 15 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were supported by consistent staff who had time to get to know them and develop a positive working relationship which supported the delivery of person - centred care. People felt safe with their care workers because they had confidence in their knowledge and skills. People received their calls on time because the provider ensured staff had enough travel time between their calls to avoid them rushing.
Staff were trained through a mixture of online and face to face training. Their competency and confidence was monitored through spot checks of their practice, supervisions and 1:1 appraisals. The registered manager valued and promoted continuous learning and development and supported staff to complete additional qualifications in health and social care. Staff felt confident their training provided them with the knowledge they needed to support people safely.
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.
We received positive feedback from people and their relatives who felt staff were kind, caring and had the time they needed to support them safely, with respect, kindness and sensitivity. Some relatives told us they felt cared for too and that care staff did more than what was expected of them.
People were involved in their assessments and decisions regarding care planning to ensure it was developed in partnership with them and, where appropriate, their relatives. Care plans promoted independence by recognising what people could do for themselves. Information about how to complain or provide feedback about the service was provided in welcome packs.
The registered manager created an open culture which valued continuous learning and had an open-door policy. Staff were proud working for HoneyBee HomeCare. They said the service was very friendly, and that management were supportive and approachable. Feedback was gathered from people to understand their experiences of care, and staff to identify or make suggestions for improvement. The provider worked with external agencies to promote positive outcomes for people.
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 07/05/2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection because the service had not been inspected or rated.