Serve Homecare

Updated 30 November 2022

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

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

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we carried out this inspection remotely and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 11 November 2022 and ended on 21 November 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from a health and social care providers. We used this information to plan our inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers 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 three people and two relatives. We received feedback from a further two relatives about their experience of the care provided to their family members. We received feedback from six members of staff including the registered manager and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records. We looked at records in relation to staff training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as video calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 30 November 2022

About the service

Serve Homecare is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 63 people in their own homes at the time of the inspection.

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

People and their relatives told us they felt they and their family members were safe and well supported by the service. Individual risks were assessed, and staff were aware of these. Reviews of events and accidents were carried out and any actions needed were completed. Medicines were managed appropriately, and staff knew how to report any concerns about a person’s safety or welfare. People told us staff arrived when they should, stayed for the required time and did not miss visits.

Staff received relevant training for their role and people felt they had the right knowledge and skills. Staff felt supported by the management team. People told us staff respected their preferences and choices.

People were asked to give their consent before receiving support and the principles of the Mental Capacity Act were followed. 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 and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring. Staff enjoyed working for the service and told us the culture was to ensure care was person centred. Care plans included information needed to support people safely and in accordance with their wishes and preferences. These were reviewed regularly.

There were mixed views from people and relatives in relation to if they were asked for their feedback. However, all said the management and staff team were approachable and they would contact them if they had concerns or queries. Staff told us they were asked for their views about the service and felt listened to. There were monitoring processes in place to help ensure a good standard of service. Quality assurance systems identified any areas that may need further development.

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

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection the service was rated good (published 20 October 2021).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by information we had received about this service.

This was an ‘inspection using remote technology’. This means we did not visit the office location and instead used technology such as electronic file sharing to gather information, and video and phone calls to engage with people using the service as part of this performance review and assessment.

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.