Homecare Domiciliary and Domestic Limited

Updated 19 July 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of 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:

Homecare Domiciliary and Domestic limited is a domiciliary care service providing care for people who need care at home. CQC regulates the care provided by the provider and this is what we looked at on our inspection.

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 visit in line with our current methodology for inspecting domiciliary care agencies.

What we did:

Prior to the inspection visit we gathered information from several sources. We also looked at the information received about the service from notifications sent to the Care Quality Commission by the registered manager. We asked the provider to complete a provider information return [PIR]. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also spoke with other professionals supporting people at the service, to gain further information about the service.

We spoke with ten people who used the service and two of their relatives. We tried to contact more people but some declined to speak with us and others did not answer the call. We spoke with nine staff including care workers, the registered manager, office manager and general manager. We looked at documentation relating to six people who used the service, three staff files and information relating to the management of the service.

Updated 19 July 2019

About the service: The Homecare domiciliary and domestic service provides personal care for people in their homes. They provide support for people across Chesterfield and the surrounding area. At the time of our inspection there were 120 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

Risks associated with people’s care and support had been identified and actions taken to minimise risks. Staff we spoke with confirmed they had received training in safeguarding and knew what action to take if they felt people were being abused. The provider had a safe recruitment process in place and staff were recruited in line with this. Accidents and incidents were analysed, and trends and patterns were identified. Medicines were managed in a safe way; monthly audit of medication administration records were completed, and staff told us they received training in the safe handling of medicines.

People’s needs were assessed, and care was delivered in line with their preferences and choices. Staff received support, induction and training to ensure they had the skills to do their role. Staff were complimentary about the management team and felt they were very supportive. People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a healthy and balanced diet in line with their dietary requirements. People had access to healthcare professionals.

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.

Staff we spoke with told us how they respected people and ensured their privacy and dignity was maintained. People were involved in the planning of their care and were able to make decisions about the care and support they received.

Care plans were organised and easy to follow detailing people’s needs and how these were to be met. People who used the service had access to a complaints procedure and were encouraged to make complaints where required. Complaints were followed up and responded to in line with the providers policy.

The management team were committed in providing a high level of care to people who used the service. Care was planned in a way that promoted people’s independence. People who used the service had the opportunity to express their views and actions were taken to address issues raised. The provider had a range of audits in place to monitor the service delivery and to ensure a high standard of care was maintained.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Published 6 December 2016)

Why we inspected: This scheduled inspection took place based on previous rating.

Follow up: Ongoing monitoring.

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