Minster Homecare

Updated 5 November 2022

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out 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

The service is a domiciliary care service. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection. This was to make arrangements to carry out a virtual inspection and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 14 September 2022 and ended on 5 October 2022. We contacted people and relatives on 21 September 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we held about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority, professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 8 people who used the service and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, the administrator and received feedback from 7 care staff.

We reviewed a range of records including 2 people's care and medicines records. We looked at recruitment records for 2 members of staff. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, were also reviewed.

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location's office. We used technology such as video/telephone calls and emails to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.

Following the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We reviewed all evidence sent to us electronically by the provider.

Updated 5 November 2022

About the service

Minster Homecare is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 34 people.

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

People and relatives were very happy with the service, felt it was safe and staff were caring. One person told us, “I can’t think of many people who have better carers.” A relative said, “My relative’s care is very, very good.”

Risks to people’s health, safety and well-being were effectively managed. Staff safeguarded people from abuse. Medicines were safely administered and managed. The provider had effective infection prevention and control systems in place.

Safe recruitment procedures were followed and there were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs. Staff were supported, to provide care in a person-centred way, through regular training, supervision and incentives. People were supported with their nutritional needs, and staff worked effectively with external professionals to ensure people received the support they wanted and needed.

Support was personalised and based on people's assessed needs and preferences. Staff spoke highly of people and were passionate about their roles. 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.

People and relatives were involved in making decisions about their care. Staff respected people’s privacy, dignity and promoted their independence. People and relatives were aware of the provider’s complaints procedure and felt confident to raise concerns.

People and relatives felt the service was well-managed. The registered manager promoted an open, honest culture and was approachable. Systems were in place to effectively monitor and develop standards at the service. Feedback was regularly sought and valued. The provider promoted continuous learning and improvement.

This was an 'inspection using remote technology'. This means we did not visit the office location and instead used technology such as electronic file sharing to gather information, and video and phone calls to engage with people using the service as part of this performance review and assessment.

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

Rating at last inspection

This is the first inspection of this service which registered with the CQC on 31 March 2021.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to rate the service.

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.