Updated 11 October 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
The inspection was conducted by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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 homes.
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 provider short notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and we had to make sure we could access the records in their office. We arranged with the management team to return the next day.
Inspection activity started on 24 September 2019 and ended on 26 September 2019. We visited the office location on 24 and 25 September 2019 to see the management team; and to review care records, policies and procedures. On 26 September 2019, we conducted telephone calls to people and their relatives who had agreed to provide us with feedback.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed the information we had about Help at Home Care since their registration. 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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
At the site visit, we spoke with the registered manager and the quality and compliance manager, who was also the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed three people’s care records. We looked at information kept regarding the management of the service. This included three staff records and records related to the quality and safety of the service.
We spoke with one person who received personal care and support, six relatives and a social worker.
We emailed all care staff for their feedback and to ask questions about their skills and knowledge. We received four responses.