Highlands Care Solutions

Updated 14 September 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

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

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection so that people could consent to take part in the inspection by giving us feedback by phone.

Inspection activity started on 9 August 2022 and ended on 15 August 2022. We visited the location’s office on 9 August 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We reviewed all the information we had about Highlands Care Solutions Ltd.

We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with ten people who used the service and family members. We spoke with the registered manager and six members of staff.

We reviewed records relating to people’s care and the running of the service. These included care records for three people and three staff recruitment files.

Updated 14 September 2022

About the service

Highlands Care Solutions Ltd is a home care service providing personal care to people in their own home. The service provides support to people with a range of personal care needs. At the time of our inspection there were 41 people using the service who received personal care services.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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.

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

People’s feedback about the service was positive and they reported good outcomes from the support received. A typical comment was, “We are very happy with the service we get.”

The provider had processes in place to keep people safe and manage risks, including risks arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. There were sufficient staff to support people safely. There were processes to manage people's medicines, and to protect people from the risk of abuse or poor care.

People received care and support that was effective, based on detailed assessments and person-centred care plans. Staff had the necessary skills and training. 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.

People were supported in a caring way. The service focused on people's independence and dignity. People were respected as individuals with attention paid to equality, diversity and human rights. There were good relationships between people and their care workers.

People received responsive care. There were processes in place to make sure people received care according to their agreed plans, needs and preferences. The provider responded positively to people’s feedback about the service.

The service people received was well led. The service focused on person-centred care and good outcomes for people. There were effective systems in place to manage the service, improve the quality of care people received, and support staff to deliver high quality care. The provider had an innovative vision of how technology could improve home care services.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 3 January 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.