Home Instead Senior Care Crowborough

Updated 17 August 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.

Service and service type

Home Instead Senior Care Crowborough 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 a short period notice of the inspection. The service is small and we needed to be sure there would be staff in the office to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 12 July 2022 and ended on 18 July 2022. We visited the office on 12 July 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually 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

During the inspection we spoke to five members of staff including the provider, the registered manager and three carers. We looked at four care plans and a range of documents relating to how the service was managed. These included risk assessments, four staff files, audits, quality assurance documents, accident reports and medicine administration records (MAR). We spoke with three people who used the service, three relatives and two professionals.

Updated 17 August 2022

About the service

Home Instead Senior Care Crowborough is a domiciliary care agency. The agency provides care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, care was being provided to 15 people. Some people lived with dementia and some had support needs relating to their mobility.

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

Systems and processes were in place to protect people from harm. People told us they felt safe and this was confirmed by relatives and loved ones. Potential risks to people had been assessed and documented and staff knew what steps to take to minimise risks. Staff had been recruited safely and people were supported with medicines when needed. Infection prevention and control measures were in place and government guidelines had been followed during the pandemic. Accidents and incidents were reported and recorded with any learning being shared with all staff.

The registered manager carried out pre-assessments with people and their relatives. Advice from professionals was sought when needed. The registered manager ensured existing staff had the necessary training and skills to support people. Ongoing support was provided to staff through regular supervision and appraisal meetings. Some people were supported with their nutrition and hydration 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.

People told us that staff were kind and respected their privacy and dignity. People’s cultures and beliefs were supported with some being regularly supported by faith leaders. People’s independence was safely promoted. People were encouraged to do daily tasks and to mobilise independently but with the support of staff if needed.

People received person-centred care tailored to their needs and daily routines. People were supported to make and attend health and social care appointments and were supported out on short trips for shopping or to local cafes. Some people needed support with communication due to living with hearing issues. Staff sometimes used boards to write things down for people which people told us they found helpful. A complaints policy was in pace and easily accessible to people and relatives. Staff had completed end of life training and were able to tell us the important aspects of caring for people at that important stage in their lives.

Everyone spoke well of the registered manager who provided support to people and staff and demonstrated visible leadership. People and relatives were provided opportunities to feedback about the service and people told us they were confident that issue raised would be listened to. Staff had daily conversations with the registered manager and regular supervision meetings where issues were discussed. Team meetings were held monthly. Auditing processes were in place and the computerised system for recording information meant that mangers could quickly access information. The registered manager had a clear vision of future development of the service and worked well with statutory partners.

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 23 December 2020 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.