Blakehill Healthcare

Updated 1 June 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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 houses and flats.

Registered Manager

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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was so the registered manager could be available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 13 April 2022 and ended on 04 May 2022. We visited the location’s office on 14 April 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who use the service and two relatives by telephone. We spoke with six members of staff and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We sought feedback from two professionals who had worked with the service.

Updated 1 June 2022

About the service

Blakehill Healthcare is a domiciliary care service, providing personal care to people living in and around Chippenham. At the time of our inspection, 22 people were receiving the regulated activity of personal care.

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.

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

Safeguarding was taken seriously and people felt safe whilst being supported. There were enough staff to support people safely and on time, unless for reasons such as traffic. Robust procedures were followed when recruiting new staff. Risks people faced had been assessed, and their medicines were safely managed. Systems were in place to prevent and control the risk of infection.

People’s needs were assessed before they were offered a service. Staff received a range of training, although some people said more training in the use of a hoist was needed. Staff were well supported and there was an on call service, for any advice that was needed outside of office hours. People received support with meal preparation, as detailed in their care plan.

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 were complimentary about the staff. They said they were kind, caring and respectful. People were encouraged to make decisions about their support and their rights to privacy, dignity and independence were promoted.

People were supported by staff who knew them well and attention was given to their communication needs. Each person had a care plan, although some of the information was limited in detail. People’s daily records were also task orientated rather than being person-centred. People were happy with their support, and knew how to raise a concern if needed. The service was able to provide palliative care, although no one required this type of care at the time of the inspection.

The registered manager was passionate about the service and there was a positive culture. Staff had adopted this passion and were complimentary about the registered manager. Systems were in place to enable people, their relatives and staff to give their views about the service. Their feedback was taken seriously and used to improve the service. An auditing system was in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service.

We have made two recommendations about the clarity of information within people’s care plans and additional staff training regarding the hoists people use.

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 16 October 20201 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.