Archived: Quality Home Care

Updated 1 June 2018

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 comprehensive inspection took place on 30 April, 1, 2 and 10 May 2018 and was announced. It was undertaken by two inspectors. 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 staff would be available.

Inspection site visit activity started on 30 April 2018 and ended on 10 May 2018. It included visits to the office, and telephone interviews of staff and people who use the service and relatives of people. Telephone interviews were carried out during the office visits and on the 1 and 2 May 2018. We visited the office on both the 30 April and 10 May 2018 to see the registered manager and office staff; review care records, policies and procedures and records relating to the management of the service.

The inspection was prompted in part by whistle-blowing concerns received by the Care Quality Commission. This followed the service taking on new care packages and staff in agreement with the local authority commissioner from another care provider.

Before our inspection we looked at all the information we held about the service including notifications. A notification is information about events that the registered persons are required, by law, to tell us about.

We asked for feedback from representatives of a local authority commissioning team, Healthwatch, and local safeguarding team. Any information received was used in planning this inspection.

During our inspection we spoke with five people and five relatives of people using the service. We also spoke with the registered manager; the branch manager; a care assessor; a field care supervisor and two care workers (one by telephone). We looked at five people’s care records, records relating to staff recruitment and training, complaints records, accidents and incidents, medication administration records, and records relating to the management of the service including audits.

Updated 1 June 2018

Quality Home Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to both older and younger adults.

This is the first inspection of this service since they reregistered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in March 2017. This announced inspection took place on 30 April, 1, 2 and 10 May 2018. There were 66 people supported with the regulated activity of personal care during this inspection.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) records showed that the service had 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.

Staff had an adequate understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were supported in the main to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff supported people in their ‘best interests.’ However, there was unclear guidance for staff within some people’s care records on whether people had the mental capacity to make day-to-day and/or more important decisions for themselves.

Staff knew how to report any suspicions of harm and poor care practice and that this was their duty to do so.

People were supported by staff to take their prescribed medication safely. Staff followed procedures, using personal protective equipment, to make sure that infection prevention and control was in place. This meant that the risk of cross contamination was reduced by staff when supporting people in their own homes.

People were assisted by staff with their care and support needs in a kind, and respectful manner. People’s dignity and privacy was maintained and promoted by the staff members supporting them.

People and their relatives were involved in the setting up and review of their or their family member’s individual support and care plans. People were supported by staff to have enough to eat and drink.

People were assisted to access a range of external health care professionals to maintain their health and well-being. Staff would work in line with external health care professionals’ guidance, to support people at the end of their life, to have a comfortable and as dignified a death as possible.

People had individualised care and support plans in place which documented their needs. These plans informed staff on how a person would like their care and support to be given, in line with external health and social care professional advice.

There were enough staff to meet people’s individual care and support needs. Individual risks to people were identified and monitored by staff to allow them to live as independent and safe life as practicable.

Staff were only employed within the service after all essential checks had been suitably completed. Staff were trained to provide care which met people’s individual needs. The standard of staff members’ work performance was reviewed through spot checks and supervisions.

Complaints received were investigated and responded to. Actions were taken to reduce the risk of recurrence. The registered manager sought feedback about the quality of the service provided from people, their relatives’ and staff members. There was an on-going quality monitoring process in place to identify areas of improvement needed within the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.