Right at Home (Maidenhead and Slough District)

Updated 22 December 2021

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 carried out by an inspector, specialist advisor and two Experts 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 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 the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 28 August 2021 and ended on 22 September 2021. We visited the office location on 16 September 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we held and had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, safeguarding team and other health and social care professionals who work with the service. We checked information held by Companies House and the Information Commissioner’s Office. We checked for any online reviews and relevant social media, and we looked at the content of the provider’s website. We asked the registered manager to send some documents in advance of visiting the service’s office. 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 of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with nine people and seven relatives about their experience care and support provided by the service. We contacted the provider’s head of quality and compliance and received a written response. We spoke with the nominated individual about their oversight of the service. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We spoke with the registered manager, the quality manager, two senior care coordinators and another care coordinator. We contacted 46 staff by e-mail and received 17 written responses. We contacted the local authority safeguarding and commissioning team and received a further two written replies. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and medicines administration records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We requested and received further care records, quality assurance documents, and were provided with a variety of additional evidence for consideration.

Updated 22 December 2021

About the service

Right at Home (Maidenhead and Slough District) is a community-based care provider supporting people with personal care in their own homes. The service is part of the Right at Home agency brand, which has multiple registered locations across England. The service provides care to adults, people with a sensory or physical disability and some people living with dementia. Although based in central Maidenhead, the service covers a wide geographical area of surrounding towns and villages. At the time of the inspection, the service provided personal care to 41 adults and there were 48 staff.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

Outstanding care was provided to people because the service was and well-led. Staff worked effectively as a team to improve care, ensure people were safe and maximise people’s care outcomes. The service received many local and industry awards for the exceptional care provided to people and for their community involvement. The service embraced continuous improvement in their care approach to enrich people’s lives. The service had an excellent workplace culture for staff. Staff feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

The outcomes of care people received were considered outstanding. The support people received enabled them to reach their maximum potential. Care plans were very person-centred and contained detailed information of how to support people in the best possible way. There was a robust complaints system in place which included lessons learned from prior concerns. People and relatives told us they had no current concerns or complaints. The service actively worked to promote social inclusion, prevent social isolation and encourage people’s independence within the community.

People were protected from abuse, discrimination and neglect. Staff knew people’s risks and how to prevent and protect against harm. Risks related to people’s care were assessed, recorded and mitigated. Sufficient staff were deployed to meet people’s needs and continuity of allocated care workers was fostered. People’s medicines were safely managed.

There was very good staff training and support. Staff received training in additional specialist areas, such as dementia, and became ‘champions’ and able to teach other colleagues. People told us staff had the necessary knowledge, experience and skills to provide appropriate care for people. The service was compliant with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and associated codes of practice. There was collaborative working with various community healthcare professionals.

The service was very caring. There was extensive complimentary feedback from people who used the service, relative and friends. Staff also commented on the quality of the care. People and relatives were able to participate in care planning and reviews and some decisions were made by staff in people’s best interests. People’s privacy and dignity was respected when care was provided to them. People and relatives praised staff for their dedication and for their work during the pandemic.

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

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was outstanding (published 29 May 2019).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated good and outstanding, to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

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.