Great North Home Care Limited

Updated 4 May 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 was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type: Great North Home Care Limited is a small care at home service, registered to provide personal care to adults who live in their own homes. At the time of inspection Great North Home Care was providing personal care to two people, whilst three people received other help. Not everyone using Great North Home Care receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

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.

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Inspection site visit activity started on 8 April 2019 and ended on that day. We visited the office location to see the registered manager, nominated individual and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did: Before our inspection we reviewed all the information we held about the service, including reports about changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to send us within the required timescales. We contacted professionals in local authority commissioning teams and safeguarding teams.

The provider completed 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 reviewed this in advance of the inspection and used it to inform the inspection.

We spoke with three relatives over the telephone, as people who used the service were unable to do so. We spoke with five members of staff: the registered manager, the nominated individual and three care and support staff.

We looked at two people's care plans, risk assessments and medicines records. We reviewed staff training and recruitment documentation, quality assurance systems, a selection of the service’s policies and procedures, meeting minutes and we discussed the provider's plans for the future. Following the inspection we contacted three health and social care professionals.

Updated 4 May 2019

About the service: Great North Home Care supports people to live independently. The service was providing personal care and support to two people living in their own homes at the time of inspection.

People’s experience of using this service: The registered manager and nominated individual had close oversight of the service. They ensured standards were maintained and people received a high quality of care from staff who knew them well. They played an active day to day role in the running of the service. Records were accurate, up to date and person-centred. Where there was scope for improvement, the registered manager was receptive to feedback. Auditing processes were not always in line with established best practice. We have made a recommendation about this.

They were supported by a team of dedicated staff who understood their roles and were well trained. People’s relatives spoke highly of the registered manager and nominated individual, as did staff. Staff had evidently developed strong bonds with people and feedback was consistently positive. Staff turnover was low and morale high.

People attended a range of activities, for instance going to the gym, and were encouraged to try new things.

Medicines administration was safe and staff had the appropriate skills and knowledge. Their competency was regularly assessed.

People were kept safe and staff were suitably trained in safeguarding principles and practice. There were no missed or significantly late calls evidenced during the inspection. No calls were shorter than the suggested good practice timescales and staff confirmed they had time to travel between visits to get to know people.

People’s capacity was assumed and staff acted in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Appropriate training was in place.

Staff worked well with external healthcare professionals to help meet people’s changing needs. Relatives and external professionals spoke of their confidence in the registered manager and staff team.

Staff at all levels delivered compassionate, person-centred care in line with the provider’s literature. Staff praised the dedication of the management team. They received formal and informal support.

Plans were in place for how the service would be managed should it grow.

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

Rating at last inspection: This is the first time we have inspected the service.

Why we inspected: We inspected the service in line with our scheduled programme of inspections.