Bowtree Homecare Ltd

Bowtree Homecare Ltd is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 8 people receiving support with personal care. 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

The service was appropriately staffed, though recruitment practices needed improving, the provider was working on making the necessary changes. People told us they felt safe and medicines were managed appropriately. There were some improvements that could be made around risk management and the provider was receptive to this. Infection control practices were safe, and we were able to see evidence of lessons learned though how this was shared with staff was not clear.

Staff received supervision but they were not regular. The registered manager implemented a tracker to ensure appropriate oversight. Staff training compliance rates needed to be improved. The registered manager told us they would ensure training compliance was improved. Peoples needs were assessed before starting with the service and people were appropriately supported with eating and drinking. When needed, people were supported with their healthcare and the serviced worked in partnership with various healthcare professionals.

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.

Equality and diversity was respected, care staff were kind and considerate and people provided positive feedback about carers and the service. People’s independence was supported, and confidential information was stored securely. People were supported to share their views.

People received person centred care and people provided positive feedback about their care. Some elements of people’s care plans would benefit from further information adding. People’s communication needs were being met and any complaints were handled appropriately. No one was receiving end of life care at the time of the inspection.

Various quality assurance systems were in place, but these needed to be more robust. Staff meetings were taking place and people had completed surveys about their care. The service had a positive culture and people, their relatives and staff spoke positively about the management. The registered manager was aware of their regulatory responsibilities and spoke about being open and honest when things go wrong.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was registered with us on 25 October 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

We have identified breaches in relation to recruitment and good governance.

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

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.