13 July 2015
During a routine inspection
This inspection took place on 13 July 2015. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice to make sure that there would be someone in the office at the time of our visit. MiHomecare Birmingham provides care and support to people living in their own homes in the Birmingham and Solihull areas of the West Midlands. They are registered to provide both nursing and personal care support. At the time of our visit we were told they had approximately 105 people using the service and they were not providing any nursing care.
At our previous inspection on 18 September 2014 the service was not meeting two of the regulations that we assessed. This was in relation to records and assessing and monitoring quality. The provider sent us an action plan telling us that they would make the necessary improvements by 10 November 2014. At this inspection we found that the necessary improvements had been made.
The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People using this service told us that they felt safe. There were systems for making sure that staff reported any allegation or suspicion of poor practice and staff were aware of the possible signs and symptoms of abuse.
There was a sufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced staff working at the service. New care staff were provided with an induction to the service and were supported through this. We were told by people who used the service and staff, that people were supported at each call by the number of staff identified as necessary in their care plans. People told us that they were usually supported by the same care staff.
Care staff had the skills and knowledge to ensure people were supported in line with their care needs but the training in moving and handling for care staff needed review to ensure it provided staff with the knowledge and skills they needed to provide safe care. Care staff had regular supervisions in order to review how to meet people’s care needs and provide support to staff.
Care planning arrangements did not always ensure the service was able to respond to people’s changing needs appropriately and continually monitor those needs.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) which applies to services providing care in the community. Not all staff were aware of the principles of the MCA and this put people at risk of not having their human rights met.
People who used the service told us that they were confident that care was provided in accordance with their needs People had built up close relationships with the care staff who provided their personal care. They described the staff as being kind and caring and care staff spoke affectionately about the people they supported. Staff promoted and upheld people’s privacy and dignity.
The provider sought feedback from people using the service and their relatives in respect of the quality of care provided and had arrangements in place to deal with any concerns or complaints. Action was taken to address people’s concerns and to reduce the risk of any potential recurrence. People told us that they would not hesitate to contact the agency office if they had a concern.
People were confident in how the service was led and the manager’s abilities. The provider had established processes for monitoring and improving the quality of the care people received although these were not always effective in identifying how the service could be improved.