Church Bank Homecare Ltd

Updated 22 December 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and specialist housing.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ 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 24 November and ended on 1 December 2022. We visited the location’s office/service on 24 November 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people who used the service and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 4 members of staff including the registered manager, office manager, area manager and community carer. We reviewed a range of records. This included 5 people's care records, along with medicines documentation, 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 22 December 2022

About the service

AStar HomecareTattenhall Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 8 people were receiving personal care and support to remain as independent as possible. 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

People and their relatives were positive and complimentary about the care and support they received. People’s care was planned in a personalised way and staff were responsive to people’s needs. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. Support was tailored to meet people’s diverse needs.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People were supported by a small team of familiar staff, who arrived as expected. People were positive about the reliability and consistency of staff. Staff were recruited safely. However, some records would benefit from further detail in relation to decisions made and to demonstrate processes were robustly followed. People's individual risks around their health and care needs were assessed and managed. Care plans were in place, however, aspects of record keeping would benefit from further person-centred details being included and kept fully up to date. Reviews were in progress, and staff understood people’s care needs well and supported people’s choices and preferences.

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; overall the policies and systems in the service generally supported this practice. However, we have made a recommendation in relation to the provider’s policy.

People were protected from the risk of abuse and harm and the provider had procedures in place to help prevent and control the spread of infection. Medicines were managed safely. People were supported by staff who had the skills, knowledge and experience to care for them effectively. Staff felt supported within their role. Communication within the service was effective and staff were kept up to date with changes.

Staff were attentive and reactive to changes in people’s health and well-being. The service worked closely with local health and social care professionals to promote good outcomes for people. Where required staff liaised with health professionals to support people at the end of life. People felt able to raise concerns and had information about how to make a complaint if necessary. The service had not received any complaints.

The service was well-led. The provider’s values and ethos supported a person-centred approach. The registered manager had promoted an open culture and staff felt able to raise any issues or concerns. People told us the manager was approachable, flexible and supportive. A learning culture was promoted. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager worked closely with people and the staff team. They had clear and regular oversight of the care being provided. They had a considered approach to developing the service and feedback was sought from people to help develop the service.

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 5 October 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.