Explora Haven

Updated 15 February 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector. An expert by experience contacted people who used the service and relatives over the telephone following our visit to the office location. 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.

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 16 January 2020 and ended on 24 January 2020. We visited the office location on 16 January 2020 and 17 January 2020.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since our last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. 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 spoke with seven members of staff including the provider, registered manager, care coordinator and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at nine 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 looked at training information and quality assurance information. We also spoke with 18 people who used the service and two relatives.

Updated 15 February 2020

About the service

Explora Haven is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to approximately 125 people, including children, people with learning disabilities, people with dementia, people with mental illnesses and people aged 65 and over.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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’s needs were assessed so appropriate care plans could be developed to meet people’s individual needs. People told us they felt safe when the care workers provided them with care. Risks to their individual safety had been assessed and staff had a good knowledge on how to support people to remain safe. People received their medicines when they needed them and there were enough staff to complete people's care visits. When things had gone wrong, lessons had been learnt to prevent the issues from re-occurring in the future. The required checks had been made on new care workers to ensure they were of good character and safe to work within the service.

Care workers had received training and supervision to enable them to have the skills and knowledge to provide people with good quality care. People received assistance with eating, drinking and their healthcare needs where this was part of their care package. The service alerted other professionals and worked with them when needed to ensure people were safe and received the care they required. 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 relatives told us care workers were kind, caring and treated them with dignity and respect. People's independence was encouraged. People were able to make decisions about their care and this was respected by the service.

The service promoted an open and person-centred culture. People, relatives and care workers told us that the registered manager was approachable and supportive. Systems were in place to ensure quality of care was monitored and the provider acted to make improvements when shortfalls had been identified.

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

Rating at last inspection (and update) –

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 12 March 2019). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.