Background to this inspection
Updated
22 January 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 was carried out by one 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 that provides personal care to people living 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. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. We also wanted time to obtain contact details of people who used the service and relatives, where appropriate.
Inspection activity started on 02 December and ended on 04 December 2019. We visited the office location on 02 December 2019.
What we did before the inspection
We used the information we held about the service to plan the inspection. This included checking for any statutory notifications that the provider had sent to us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We used this information to plan our inspection.
We asked the local Healthwatch for any information they had which would aid our inspection. 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 this information to plan our inspection.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
During the inspection
As part of the inspection we spoke with seven people who used the service to establish their views and feedback about the care and support they received.
During the site visit we spoke with the registered manager, the area manager and a care coordinator. We also viewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records. We also looked at quality assurance records, as well as reviewing the electronic system for monitoring the delivery of the service, staff training and records of audits.
Following the inspection, we received feedback from six staff.
Updated
22 January 2020
About the service
Homecare4U Stafford provides personal care and support to 23 people living in their own homes at the time of the inspection.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received safe, effective care and support to meet their individual needs. People were protected from harm as staff were confident to recognise and report abuse. Risks were assessed and managed to keep people safe. People received their medicines safely.
People received support from a consistent staff team who were trained and confident to deliver personalised care in line with people’s assessed needs. Staff were safely recruited to ensure they were appropriate to support people who used the service. Staff were well supported in order to deliver good care.
People’s needs were assessed and documented to ensure their care needs were met. Care plans were detailed and effective to ensure staff had access to accurate information. Plans were reviewed regularly as people’s needs changed.
People received appropriate support to eat and drink in line with their dietary needs and preferences. Staff worked with health and social care professionals to ensure consistency and ensure people received appropriate and safe support.
Staff were caring and respectful, promoting people’s privacy, dignity and independence.
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.
Staff sought people’s consent before supporting them and decisions about people’s care and treatment were made in line with law and guidance
People’s care was responsive to their changing needs. People knew how to raise a concern and always felt listened to. Information was available in different formats to make it accessible.
People felt the service was well managed. Staff had regular opportunities to share their views about the service. Staff felt listened to when they shared feedback. The provider carried out audits to ensure the quality of care provided and feedback was sought from people who used the service to ensure continual improvement and development.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection
Rating at last inspection
This was the first inspection for this agency since registering with CQC in December 2018.
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.