Careinmyhome West Essex

Care in my Home West Essex is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people using the service.

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. There were 9 people receiving support with personal care.

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

Staff had not always been recruited safely. People had some concerns around the timeliness of their visits and staff were concerned there was not enough staff to cover absence.

People’s care plans were not always clear and detailed, but staff had good understanding of people’s needs and confirmed they received training. People were happy with the care provided.

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.

The acting manager had been in post a short time and did not yet have full oversight of the service. They had systems to monitor the quality of the service but documentation of this was not always consistent.

Feedback from people and staff regarding support from the office team was mixed.

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 good (published 8 July 2021).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to staffing levels, training, quality monitoring and management of the service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.

The acting manager was able to provide some assurances around specific concerns.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Care in my home West Essex on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to recruitment and oversight of the service at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Careinmyhome West Essex is a domiciliary care service providing a range of support including personal care to people who live in their own houses and flats. At the time of our inspection, 31 people used the service but only 22 people were receiving 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

People felt safe being supported by staff who were consistent and provided continuity of care. Staff had received safeguarding adults from abuse training and knew how to act on any concerns.

Staff used risk assessments and care plans to support people’s individual needs. However, some people’s risks to their health and wellbeing needed reviewing. The registered manager completed reviews of people’s care quickly and effectively before the end of the inspection.

Safe recruitment systems were in place to ensure suitable staff were employed. People received their prescribed medicines by trained staff. Effective infection control processes were in place. The provider had ensured practices were updated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lessons had been learnt which had improved the service.

Newly appointed staff received an induction and all staff had on-going training and supervision to develop their skills and knowledge. Staff felt valued and well supported. People were supported to maintain good health and access health care professionals. Where required, people were supported with their nutritional needs.

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.

Staff were very kind and caring. People and their relatives were positive about the support they received from the service. The staff treated people with dignity and respect and their independence was promoted.

People’s needs were met through good assessments and discussions about their care. Care plans were person centred, detailing people’s preferences and how they liked to be supported. Staff wrote about people in a respectful way. Complaints and concerns were dealt with effectively. People were supported at the end of their life.

The service was well led. The registered manager and area manager provided clear leadership and were committed to providing high quality care. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service.

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 18 December 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.