Beloved Homecare Ltd

Updated 29 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and 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 houses and flats.

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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who worked with the service. 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. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager and care workers.

We looked at a range of records. These included five people's records related to their care and support, nine staff recruitment records, staffing rotas and records related to the auditing and monitoring of the service.

Updated 29 October 2022

About the service

Beloved Homecare Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to 11 people.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. Personal Care 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

Recruitment processes were not always robust, some staff files did not contain the relevant information. The registered manager took immediate action to address this.

Records used to monitor and review some people's care had not been fully completed and kept up to date. We found examples where sections of some people’s care plans and care records had not been updated to reflect changes in their needs. Although not widespread and no people had come to any harm improvements were required. The provider had identified similar concerns prior to the inspection and was making the required changes.

We have made a recommendation about records.

The quality monitoring systems implemented by the provider to help them monitor the quality of the service were mostly effective, however we did identify some gaps in recruitment practices.

We have made a recommendation about recruitment.

People and their relatives reported personalised and good quality care from staff who were kind and compassionate. Systems were in place to manage and monitor the punctuality of staff's care calls. Staff reported the culture of the service as open and positive.

The provider was proactive in supporting their staff and provided access to resources to benefit the health and wellbeing of employees. Care workers spoke highly about working for the service. People told us staff were caring and kind. Staff had a good understanding of how to support people in a way that promoted their privacy, dignity and independence.

The provider actively engaged with people and staff to be able to continuously learn, expand and improve the service they provided.

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 15 March 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 are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

Follow up

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