The Care Quality Commission
  • Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Archived: MiHomecare - Southampton

Unit 6, Stanton Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 4HU (023) 8052 8529

Provided and run by:
MiHomecare Limited

All Inspections

13 November 2013

During an inspection in response to concerns

Following our inspection at the agency office we telephoned and spoke with six people or their relatives, who were using the service. We also spoke with five staff members and the manager. People were highly complimentary about the care and support they were receiving. They told us they had the 'same girls who came to help' them with their care. A person told us they had the same care staff for four years and this staff member 'deserved an award' for the care they provided. They told us they were 'very happy 'with the agency and care staff arrived on time and stayed for the correct length of time. We were told they usually had the same care staff and they wrote in their records after their visits. Another person said the care staff 'were excellent' and can't praise them enough.

Arrangements were in place to meet the needs of people. We found the care plans were detailed and recently reviewed to reflect people's needs. Risk assessments were completed and an assessment was done at the point of commencing care. There was a process to seek the views of people. An action plan was developed to address any issues identified from the surveys. We saw there was an effective quality assurance system in place and people who use the service were asked for their views about their care and treatment they received.

There was a complaints process in place. Records of complaints were maintained. People told us they would contact the office and the staff took action as needed.

In this report the name of a manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a registered manager on our register at the time.

15 May 2013

During a routine inspection

To help us to understand people's experiences of the service we telephoned people using the service to get their views, as this was a domiciliary care service. We spoke with nine people, their family and eight staff. People told us they received care from staff who had been 'fantastic" and were very happy with the care. Another person told us 'they are good girls' when referring to the staff and the support they received. People commented the staff were courteous and respectful. We asked a person if they felt their privacy and dignity was respected and they said 'absolutely'. Another person said the staff were 'very good and no complaints'. Two people told us they had regular care staff and they arrived at the planned times. Other people said there had been a lot of changes and different care staff attending to them.

People were assessed prior to receiving care and care plans were developed to support their needs. The new care plans were detailed; however the care plans which were in use in the old formats lacked information about people's current needs. There was a recruitment process and checks were completed. Staff were supported to complete an induction,the staff's supervision's process was not robust.

The provider did not have an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service. There was a mixed response about how to raise concerns. Information was provided to people about how to raise their concerns when they joined the service.