Archived: Holidays with Care Ltd

Updated 4 February 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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Holidays with Care 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 48 hours’ notice of the inspection to ensure people who used the service, staff and visitors were available to talk with us.

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 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 about Holidays with Care with the provider and registered manager. We also talked with one person, two relatives and three staff. We looked at records related to the management of the service. We did this to ensure the management team had oversight of the service, responded to any concerns and led Holidays with Care in ongoing improvements. We checked care records of people who used the service and looked at staffing levels, recruitment procedures and training provision.

Updated 4 February 2020

About the service

Holidays with Care Ltd provides domiciliary services to 3 people with a range of disabilities whilst staying at the Bond Hotel in Blackpool. The office is based at the hotel and they assist people with their personal and social care needs during their stay. Holidays with Care Ltd will be referred to as Holidays with Care within this report.

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

The provider had systems to reduce risks linked to people’s support during their holidays. Each employee had a good awareness of reporting safeguarding concerns. The provider had systems to ensure the safe management of people’s medication. Staff and relatives confirmed staffing levels were sufficient. An employee said, “One thing I like about here is that we get the time to do our jobs. There's always been another staff member where we need two staff, without fail.”

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The management team created and reviewed people’s care plans to ensure they met their agreed goals. Staff understood their responsibilities to support and monitor each person’s nutritional needs. The management team provided a range of training to underpin staff skills and knowledge. One staff member commented, “Training is really good.”

The provider instilled in its workforce an ethos of inclusivity, respect and personalised care. People and relatives told us staff had a kind and caring approach. A relative stated, “They are extremely friendly. When we come here they make us feel like we are meeting up with family.”

Care records held details about each person’s life history and preferences to ensure support met their requirements. The ethos at Holidays with Care was centred on helping people to socialise and have an enjoyable holiday. A staff member said, “It's always about making it fun and my responsibility is always making sure they have an enjoyable holiday.”

The provider ensured staff were well supported and led a service focused on quality performance and continuous improvement. A staff member told us, “[The registered manager] is brilliant, fair, supportive and helps you to just gets on with it.” The management team undertook regular audits to check everyone’s safety and welfare.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 06 July 2017).

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.