A&A Homecare Ltd

Updated 3 September 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. 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

Two inspectors carried out this inspection.

Service and service type

'A&A Homecare Ltd T/A My homecare' 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 a short period notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 1 August 2019 and ended on 9 August 2019. We visited the office location on 8 August 2019 to see the management team and to review records. We spoke with people and relatives by telephone on 1 August and staff by telephone on 9 August 2019; to ask them about their experience of using or working at the service.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it first registered with CQC. We used this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people using the service, three relatives, the nominated individual, the registered manager and three care staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We then looked at various records, including care records for three people, as well as other records relating to the running of the service. These included staff records, medicine records, audits and meeting minutes; so that we could corroborate our findings and ensure the care and support being provided to people were appropriate for them.

Updated 3 September 2019

About the service

‘A&A Homecare Ltd T/A My homecare’ is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to adults living in their own homes, so that they can live as independently as possible.

Not everyone using ‘A&A Homecare Ltd T/A My homecare’ receives a 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.

At the time of this inspection 15 people were using the service, 10 of whom were receiving personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make some improvements. Please see the Well-Led section of this full report for more detail.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of service provision and to drive continuous improvement, although these did require strengthening to ensure all legal requirements were consistently met and to drive continuous improvement. We identified some other areas requiring improvement too during the inspection such as: staff recruitment records, ensuring lasting power of attorney decisions are checked, recording information about how people’s communication should be met and making sure care plans contain clear information for staff about who is responsible for carrying out tasks, particularly where family members are also involved in providing care and support.

However, we found no evidence that people had been placed at risk of harm or that their experience of using the service had been affected negatively. The management team responded positively and provided us with an action plan shortly after the inspection which addressed all the areas we identified for improvement. They told us that as a relatively new service, they were keen to learn and improve things for people using the service.

People we spoke with were positive about the service. They told us the care and support they received was reliable and helped to improve their quality of life. They said staff provided care and support in a kind, compassionate way and their privacy, dignity and independence was respected and promoted. This meant that 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.

In addition to the people we spoke with, four more people had provided recent feedback about the service online (on the Internet) which echoed the feedback we received. For example, one person had written, ‘An excellent service carried out by professional and friendly staff. The morning visit always start the day off very well. They are encouraging, supportive, like friends looking out for your best interests. I am very grateful for all their care and concern.’

Staff knew how to protect people and keep them safe. They had the right skills and training to meet people’s needs, including making sure they had their medicines when they needed them. Staff supported people to stay healthy too. They helped them to access healthcare services when they needed them and ensured they had enough to eat and drink.

Systems were in place for people to raise any concerns or complaints they might have about the service. Feedback was responded to in a positive way, to improve the quality of service provided.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 30 August 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

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.