Updated 21 April 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 completed by one inspector, one assistant inspector and two Expert by Experiences. 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
Home Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. They also provide personal care to six people on a more supported, 24/7 basis. This is to people requiring high levels of support to live in the community.
Currently, there was not a manager registered with us. The service had a manager employed who was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission. Once registered, 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
This inspection was announced on Friday 7 February 2020. The inspection activity started on 10 February 2020 and ended on 19 February 2020. We visited the office location on 10 and 11 February 2020 and made phone calls to people who used the service and/or their families on the 18 and 19 February 2020.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed the information we held on the service, such as notifications, and 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.
We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We reviewed seven care plans during the office visit. We spoke with the manager and two staff based in the office responsible for supporting staff delivering the care, who planned and monitored training and ensure visits to people were met. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
We spoke with 17 people and 16 relatives on the phone to seek their views of their care.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the manager to validate evidence found. We also received written feedback from 12 staff, three professionals with knowledge of the service and one relative.