Optimal Homecare Services

Updated 4 May 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector.

Service and service type:

Optimal Homecare Services is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults, younger disabled adults and people living with dementia or a learning disability.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission.

Notice of inspection:

The inspection was announced for the site visit on 26 March 2019. Telephone calls were made to people using the service and to staff on 28 and 29 March 2019.

What we did:

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We found the information recorded on the PIR was evident during the inspection and everything stated was in place. We checked information held by the local authority safeguarding and commissioning teams in addition to other partner agencies and intelligence received by the Care Quality Commission.

During the inspection we spoke with two people using the service, and one of their relatives. In addition, we spoke with three staff including care staff, and the registered manager.

We looked at two care records including risk assessments, three staff files including all training records, minutes of resident and staff meetings, complaints, safeguarding records, accident logs, medicine administration records and quality assurance documentation.

Updated 4 May 2019

About the service:

Optimal Homecare Services is a domiciliary care agency that was providing support to 15 people at the time of the inspection. Not everyone using Optimal Homecare Services receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service:

People felt safe and were happy with care staff. Care staff knew how to recognise and report potential abuse. Risk was considered in relation to equipment, environment, and any other specific need, and supported with person focused risk assessments.

People received support from a consistent staff team who arrived on time and stayed for the required duration of the call. Recruitment checks were robust. Staff had medication training and followed the principles of good infection control.

The registered manager provided clear leadership based on reflection and of accepting nothing less than the best. Care staff received regular training and practice updates and were subject to regular competency checks. All staff told us how much they felt part of a team. All people and staff told us communication was excellent.

Staff understood the importance of obtaining consent and people told us they always had choices. People were supported with nutrition and accessing health services if needed.

People were very happy with care staff and spoke highly of them. People were properly assessed and their needs and wishes were reviewed regularly, and privacy and dignity was promoted along with independence.

The service had received no complaints but people knew who to contact and care staff felt able to raise any issues.

Optimal Homecare Services had a strong focus on the best outcomes for both people and staff. The values of the registered manager showed high expectations and the views of all were considered and responded to. Although the documented quality assurance measures were limited, the registered manager had daily updates and was constantly reviewing service provision. They acknowledged they needed to develop some impartial monitoring and showed us the plans they had put in place.

Everyone we spoke with recommended the service and said nothing could be done better.

Rating at last inspection: Requires Improvement (report published 28 March 2018)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection in conjunction with our inspection schedule.

Follow up:

The service will continue to be monitored in line with our inspection programme, and if information of concern is raised, this will be investigated.

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