Home Instead Central Leeds

Updated 9 August 2023

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 1 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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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 the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 3 July 2023 and ended on 11 July 2023. We visited the location’s office on 3 July 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. 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 the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the site visit we spoke with the registered manager and nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed a range of quality assurance records.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the service to validate evidence found. This included looking at 3 people’s care plans and training records. We spoke by telephone with 2 people who received this service to discuss their experience. We also spoke with representatives of 2 other people. We also spoke by telephone with 3 members of staff who worked for Home Instead Central Leeds.

Updated 9 August 2023

About the service

Home Instead Central Leeds is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own home. This service is able to provide overnight and 24 hour care to people. At the time of our inspection, 13 people were receiving a service. The Care Quality Commission (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. 9 people were receiving a service, which included regulated personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were protected from the risk of harm and abuse as staff received this training and understood their safeguarding responsibilities. Systems were in place to help recognise abuse and report abuse. People and relatives consistently felt the service was safe.

People were supported by staff who were trained and had their competency check for administering medicines safely. Medication audits were regularly completed.

Steps had been taken to reduce risks to people as risks to people were understood by staff and recorded in risk assessments. Staff were following infection prevention and control guidance, which included wearing PPE.

People were supported by a small group of staff, which they appreciated as this provided more consistency for them. Staff were said to be consistently on time and records supported this.

Staff supported people to access healthcare services when they needed this support. They were trained to recognise and respond to signs of ill health and knew what to do in the event of an emergency. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink.

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 and relatives spoke warmly about the support they received from the staff team. Staff understood how people preferred to be supported and positive working relationships had formed between people and staff. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained through staff practice.

Care plans were in place which reflected people’s needs in detail. People said they were part of the process when their care package was first designed and through regular reviews. Relatives were able to access electronic care records for their loved one, which provided them with assurance.

The service was well-led by an effective management team. The entire staff team demonstrated the values of going above and beyond people’s expectations. People and relatives knew how to complain if they were unhappy, but this system had not been needed.

Effective quality assurances processes were in place. People were regularly asked for their feedback, which was positive. The provider worked with partners on a number of different initiatives designed to continuously improve their service.

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 22 September 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.

Follow up

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