Archived: London Care (Harlow)

Updated 29 June 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: This inspection was carried out by one inspector and one 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: London Care (Harlow) is a Domiciliary Care Agency registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes.

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: We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection visit because the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure they would be in.

What we did: Inspection site visit activity started on 15 May 2019 and ended on 17 May 2019. We visited the office location on 15 May 2019 to see the registered manager and staff team and to review care records and policies and procedures. On 16 and 17 May 2019 we spoke to people who used the service and staff to collect their feedback.

Before the inspection we gathered and reviewed information we received from the provider on the provider information return (PIR). This is a document the provider sent us saying how they were meeting the regulations, identified any key achievements and any plans for improvement.

During the inspection: We spoke with eight people who used the service and two family members. We spoke with the registered manager, the area manager, a field supervisor and two care staff. We looked at the care records of four people who used the service and the personnel files for three members of staff.

Updated 29 June 2019

About the service: London Care (Harlow) is a domiciliary care agency. It is regulated to provide personal care for children, older people, younger adults and people with dementia, mental health issues, physical disability or sensory impairment. At the time of inspection 76 people were using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they received a good service and felt safe. Accidents and incidents were recorded and analysed, and risk assessments were in place. We made a recommendation to strengthen risk assessments.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and the registered manager followed established recruitment procedures to ensure staff employed were suitable for their role. Following the previous inspection travel time had been introduced in between calls to ensure staff stayed for the full time. People received their prescribed medicines safely. Lessons were learnt from when mistakes happened.

People’s needs and choices were assessed and their care provided in line with their preferences. Staff received an induction and on-going training to ensure they could provide care based on current best practice when supporting people. People's consent was gained before any care was provided, and they were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives.

Staff provided support to people when needed to make sure they received continuing healthcare to meet their needs. People received support from caring staff who respected their privacy, dignity and the importance of maintaining their independence.

The registered manager was very visible at the service and spent a lot of time working with people and staff to ensure quality care was being provided by the service.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 23/11/2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. During this inspection we found evidence continued to support the rating of good. More information is in the full report.

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

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