Mayfair Homecare - Barnet

Updated 15 October 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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and two Experts by Experience who spoke with people and relatives by telephone for feedback. 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 houses, flats or specialist housing.

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 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 not a registered manager in post. However, the service was overseen by a regional manager and a team leader who had recently been appointed as the manager, and was in the process of registering with the CQC. Both the regional manager and the team leader have been referred to as ‘the managers’ in this report.

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 manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we held about the service since their registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and 11 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 12 members of staff including a director, the regional manager, team leaders and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records and nine people’s medicines records. We looked at six staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, management audits, complaints, safeguarding records and meeting minutes, were reviewed.

Updated 15 October 2022

About the service

Mayfair Homecare - Barnet is a domiciliary care service that provides care and support to people living with dementia, physical disabilities and mental health conditions. At the time of our visit, the service was providing care and support to 136 people living predominantly in the North and West parts of London.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. At the time of our visit, 81 people received 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

Discrepancies in medicines administration records showed that people may have not always received their medicines safely and as prescribed.

Whilst people received care from a consistent team of staff, people were concerned about staff not always attending to their care visits on time.

People were safeguarded from abuse and staff were fully aware of their duties to report concerns. People’s personal risks were assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure people received safe care and support. There were infection prevention and control measures in place to protect people from the risk of the spread of infection.

People received a comprehensive assessment of their needs before they received care. People had access to healthcare when needed. Staff had clear guidance on supporting people to eat and drink as per their wishes.

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 received person-centred care and support from a caring and respectful team. Staff offered people choices and sought their views when providing care. Staff treated people with dignity while promoting their independence.

Staff received appropriate support and training to be able to perform their roles and provide good care to people.

The provider managed complaints effectively and had systems in place to continuously assess and improve the service. People, their relatives and staff felt safe to raise concerns which the service took seriously. The provider worked in collaboration with other agencies to ensure people received good care and support.

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, which was a merge of two other locations, was registered with us on 21 January 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

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

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to safe management of medicines at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

We have made a recommendation about staffing in relation to consistency around care visits.

Follow up

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