Homecare (Mellor) Limited

Updated 6 September 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. 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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and sheltered housing.

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. The registered manager was not on duty at the time of the inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the registered manager or another manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 10 July 2019 and ended on 11 July 2019. We visited the office location on both dates.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from local authority commissioners of service and safeguarding teams. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke by telephone with seven people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eleven members of staff including the training manager, care coordinator, human resources manager, senior care workers and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included nine people’s care records and some medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found, including training records and improvement plans.

Updated 6 September 2019

Homecare (Mellor) Limited is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to older people, people with a dementia and people with physical disabilities living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 152 people were receiving care and support. 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.

People told us they felt safe with the service. However, thorough recruitment practices had not been carried out before staff started work. Managers on duty took immediate action to make improvements and ensure ongoing progress was made. We have made a recommendation about staff recruitment. Staff had received training on safeguarding adults at risk. They were aware of the signs and indicators of abuse and they knew what to do if they had any concerns.

There were enough suitable staff available to provide care and support; staffing arrangements were kept under review. Staff followed processes to manage people's medicines safely. Health and safety was monitored and risks to people's individual well-being were being assessed and managed.

Processes were in place to find out about people's backgrounds, their needs, abilities and choices before they used the service. 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 as appropriate with their healthcare needs. They were given support as necessary with meals and drinks, healthy eating was monitored and promoted. The provider ensured staff had access to ongoing training, development and supervision.

People made positive comments about the staff and managers. One person told us, “They are very efficient and reliable.” Staff knew people well and were respectful of their choices. People's privacy and dignity was respected. People were encouraged to be independent as possible.

People received personalised care and support. They were involved in managing their care and ongoing reviews. Processes were in place to support people with making complaints.

Management and leadership arrangements supported the effective day to day running of the service. The provider used a range of systems, to regularly monitor and improve the service. There were processes to consult with people about their experiences of the service and make any improvements.

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 based on the rating.

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.