Ralle Health Limited

Updated 5 February 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This was a comprehensive inspection. This inspection took place on 28 November and 7 December 2018. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service, including the notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the provider is legally obliged to send us within required timescales. Due to technical issues on our part, the provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report

We contacted the commissioners of the relevant local authority to gain their views of the care provided. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used feedback to inform the planning of this inspection.

We visited the office location to see the registered manager; and to review care records and policies and procedures. We spoke with four people either by telephone or visits to their home and spoke with two relatives. We contacted nine care staff.

We also looked at the care and medicine records of three people and the recruitment records of two staff. We viewed the training records and quality monitoring records.

Updated 5 February 2019

Ralle Health Limited is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care to people living in their own homes. The people who use the service have a range of needs. There were 18 people receiving a personal care service at the time of this inspection.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People said this was a safe service. They knew all of the staff and felt comfortable with each of them.

People were supported in a safe way. Staff had training in infection control and had all the necessary equipment to care for people in a hygienic way. People who required assistance with medicines were supported by staff who had training in medicines management.

People’s needs were assessed before the care service was arranged. Staff were trained in care and relevant health and safety topics. People’s consent was sought and recorded before care was provided.

Where appropriate people were supported with meals. No-one was at significant nutritional risk, but the registered manager was aware of how to support people with any modified diet and drink requirements. The service had good working relationships with health care services and any changes in people’s health were referred to the right service.

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 consistently praised the caring, kind and helpful attitude of staff and registered manager. There were good relationships between people and staff. People felt confident that staff knew their needs, preferences and wishes.

Ralle Health Limited provided a personalised service that matched each person’s individual needs. Care records were sufficiently detailed to guide staff in the individual needs of each person. People told us felt included in all discussions about their care.

People, relatives and staff stated they had confidence in the registered manager and the way the service was run. The registered manager was also the founder and Nominated Individual of this small company. They were committed to making continuous improvements to the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.