Home Instead

Updated 5 February 2020

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector, and one expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using services or cares for someone who is older and/or has dementia.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

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

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at statutory notifications the provider had made to us about important events. In addition, we reviewed all other information sent to us from members of the public and stakeholders, such as the local authority.

We also used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We contacted Healthwatch Devon for feedback about the service. 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 all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke in detail with 11 people who used the service, and nine relatives. We also spoke with four CAREGiver's, two administrative staff, the registered manager and the provider.

We looked at two care plans for people who used the service, minutes of meetings, training records for all staff, four recruitment files, and auditing and monitoring checks.

We contacted six external health and social care professionals for their views about the service.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager and provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 5 February 2020

About the service

Home Instead Senior Care is a domiciliary care agency which provides care to people over the age of 65 within Tavistock and the surrounding areas. Home Instead Senior Care is a franchise of the national provider Home Instead Senior Care UK Limited.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection the agency supported 33 older people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were truly respected and valued as individuals, by an exceptional and distinctive service. People consistently told us how they were treated with the utmost kindness, compassion and respect.

The providers ‘person-centred’ values were reflected within the leadership, governance and culture of the service. All staff (referred to as CAREGiver's hereafter) showed a love for their jobs and a passion for the people they supported, keeping them at the very heart of the service.

There was very strong leadership of the service. There was a skilled and motivated registered manager in place, who role modelled the ethos of the service. The registered manager and provider were extremely passionate about delivering a high quality, compassionate and individually tailored service to people.

The service had a key role in the community and was actively involved in building links. CAREGiver's went the extra mile to ensure people were supported to avoid social isolation.

There was a transparent and open culture that encouraged creative thinking in relation to people’s safety. The service actively sought out new technology and other solutions to make sure people and families were involved in their care, and lived with as few restrictions as possible, helping them to have an active and meaningful life.

The provider took a holistic approach to assessing, planning and delivering people’s care and support, with people’s overall wellbeing considered an essential part of their care.

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.

CAREGiver's were committed to working collaboratively and innovatively to deliver more joined up care and support to people and were complimentary of the training and support they received. Staff were very proud and motivated to work for the organisation.

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

Rating at last inspection (and update)

This service was registered with us on 19/10/2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.