Sheffield South Home Instead

Updated 19 April 2023

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 1 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 houses and flats.

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

This inspection was announced. 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 27 February 2023 and ended on 8 March 2023.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since its registration. 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 2 people who used the service and 6 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 5 members of staff including the registered manager, and care workers. We reviewed a range of records including 2 people’s care records and medication records. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

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

Updated 19 April 2023

About the service

Sheffield South Home Instead is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people using the service.

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 were supported by staff who were highly motivated and looked for new opportunities to support people to maximise their quality of life and independence in an exceptionally person centred way. The provider had gone the extra mile to forge strong links within the local communities to support people to lead fulfilling lives.

The provider had systems in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. Staff were able to raise concerns with the registered manager and were confident they would take swift and appropriate actions to keep people safe.

Staff were recruited safely and completed a thorough induction programme prior to commencement of their role. Care plans clearly documented risks associated with people's care and staff were given guidance to ensure risks were mitigated. The registered manager ensured lessons were learnt when things went wrong. Systems in place to monitor medicines were robust and ensured people received their medicines as prescribed.

People’s needs were assessed, and care and support was delivered in line with people’s needs and choices. Staff received good quality training which assisted them to carry out their role competently. Regular support visits and supervision sessions were carried out by the management team. This ensured staff felt well supported.

Staff worked effectively alongside other health care professionals to support people's health and wellbeing. People and relatives were complimentary about the way staff and health care professionals worked together to provide a seamless service which met their needs in a timely way.

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.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and used this process to learn and improve the service. The provider engaged with people well and gave them the opportunity to be involved in the development of 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 8 December 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.

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.

Follow up

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