Dove Home Care Agency Limited

Updated 3 January 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

There was one inspector in the inspection team. An expert by experience supported the inspection by making some of the phone calls prior to the visit to the office. An expert by experience is someone who has experience of care and may have supported a family member.

Service and service type

This service 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

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

Inspection activity started on 7 November 2019 and ended on 18 December 2019. We visited the office location on 4 December 2019.

What we did before the inspection

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.

During the inspection

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two 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 spoke with 11 people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided.

After the inspection we spoke with seven members of staff including the provider, registered manager, care manager and care staff.

Updated 3 January 2020

Dove Home Care is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to approximately 100 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection.

People felt safe around staff they knew and were familiar with. Staff understood how to keep people safe and felt assured the registered manager would take action when needed. Risks to people’s health were known to staff and staff underwent background checks before commencing work at the service to ensure they were suitable to support people using the service. People’s support with their medicines was checked and staff understood how to prevent the spread of infection. The registered manager reviewed staff practices to identify improvements where necessary.

People’s needs were assessed so that care was delivered by staff that had the necessary skills to meet their needs. Staff training was regularly reviewed and updated. Staff understood how to seek help and guidance from healthcare professionals and escalate concerns if needed. 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 liked the care staff supporting them and were positive about the support they received. People felt involved in decisions about their day and felt supported to maintain their independence and dignity.

People were involved in reviewing and updating their care so that it still met their needs. People were supported to communicate in ways that enabled them to voice their needs. People understood how to complain, and systems were in place to review and respond to people’s complaints.

People were satisfied with the management of their care and felt the service they received was good. Systems were in place to review people’s care and update it to reflect people’s feedback. The registered manager understood their obligations to notify the Care Quality Commission [CQC] where necessary and undertake investigations of concerns when they were made aware of them. The registered manager worked with local district nurses to ensure people received the care they needed.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 18 July 2017).

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.

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