Victoria Home Care Solutions

Updated 16 January 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This first comprehensive inspection of Victoria Home Care Solutions took place on 06 and 08 December 2017. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because we needed to ensure the registered manager would be available.

The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Before the inspection, the registered provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The PIR was received in a timely way and was completed fully. We looked at notifications sent in to us by the registered provider, which gave us information about how incidents and accidents were managed. We also contacted the local authority safeguarding team about their views of the service and they did not have any concerns.

One the first day of our inspection we visited the office to look at records and talk with the registered provider and office support staff. On the 08 December 2017 we undertook telephone calls to four people who used the service and two relatives. In addition we spoke with the registered provider, two team leaders and two care and support staff.

We looked at the care records for six people who used the service and two medication records. We also examined other records relating to the management and running of the service. These included three staff recruitment files, induction and training records, supervisions and appraisals, the employee handbook, quality assurance audits and complaints records.

Updated 16 January 2018

This first comprehensive inspection of Victoria Home Care Solutions took place on 06 and 08 December 2017. Victoria Home Care Solutions provides care and support to people who wish to remain in their own homes. Services include personal care, meal preparation, hospital discharge and medication support. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people receiving personal care.

The service had a registered manager. The registered manager was also the registered provider. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons.’ Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People's experiences of the care provided were overwhelmingly positive. They told us they were supported by exceptional staff that were very kind, caring and compassionate and who often went the extra mile to provide them with outstanding care. The staff were passionate about providing people with support that was based on their individual needs, goals and aspirations. The care people received was person centred so that each person's support reflected their preferences and ensured they were at the centre of their care. Each person was treated as an individual and as a result their care was tailored to meet their exact needs.

There was a strong culture within the service of treating people with dignity and respect. The staff and the registered provider were always available and listened to people and their relatives/friends, offered them choices and made them feel that they mattered.

People felt safe. Staff had been provided with safeguarding training to enable them to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and knew how to report them. There were risk management plans in place to protect and promote people’s safety. Staffing numbers were appropriate to keep people safe and the registered provider followed thorough recruitment procedures to ensure staff employed were suitable for their roles. People’s medicines were managed safely and in line with best practice guidelines.

Systems were in place to ensure that people were protected by the prevention and control of infection. There were arrangements in place at the service to make sure that action was taken and lessons learned when things went wrong and to improve safety across the service.

People’s needs and choices were assessed and their care provided in line with best practice and in order to meet their diverse needs. There were sufficient numbers of staff, with the correct skill mix to support people with their care. Staff received an induction process when they first commenced work at the service and in addition also received on-going training to ensure they were able to provide care based on current good practice when supporting people.

People received enough to eat and drink and staff gave support when required. People were supported by staff to use and access a wide variety of other services and social care professionals. The staff had a good knowledge of other services available to people and we saw these had been involved with supporting people using the service. People were supported to access health appointments when required to make sure they received continuing healthcare that met their needs.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were listened to, their views were acknowledged and acted upon and care and support was delivered in the way that people chose and preferred. Care plans provided staff with detailed information and guidance about people's likes, dislikes, preferences and guidance from any professionals involved in their care. People and their relatives were involved in planning all aspects of their care and support and were able to make changes to how their care was provided. Records were regularly reviewed to ensure care met people's current needs. This helped to provide staff with the information they needed to provide care that was personalised for each individual.

People, relatives and staff knew how to raise concerns and make a complaint if they needed to and there was a complaints procedure in place to enable people to raise complaints about the service.

The management and leadership within the service had a clear structure and the registered provider was knowledgeable about people's needs and key issues and challenges within the service. Staff felt supported and valued. The registered provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the care provided and to ensure the values, aims and objectives of the service were met. This included audits of key aspects of the service. People and those important to them were supported to share their views about the quality of care they received. These were used to critically review the service and drive improvements. Staff received one to one supervision which gave them an opportunity to share ideas, and exchange information about possible areas for improvements. The registered provider was aware of their responsibility to report events that occurred within the service to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and external agencies.