Archived: Care at Home Services (South East) Limited - Hastings

Updated 15 June 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place between 2 and 10 May 2017. The inspection involved visits to the agency’s office on 2 and 10 May 2017. Between these dates, we spoke with people and their relatives on the phone. We met with staff in the office on 2 May 2017. The provider was given two working days’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service.

The inspection was undertaken by an inspector and an 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.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the agency, including previous inspection reports. We received three ‘Share your Experience’ forms from people since the last inspection and used information from them when planning the inspection. The provider had sent us an information return (PIR) in which they outlined how they ensured they were meeting people’s needs and their plans for the next 12 months. As part of the inspection, we reviewed the provider’s information return (PIR). We considered information which had been shared with us by the local authority and other people, looked at safeguarding alerts which had been made and notifications which had been submitted. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

We spoke with 17 people and/or their relatives. We spoke with 10 members of staff, the registered manager and one senior manager for the provider.

During the inspection we looked at six people’s records and six staff recruitment, supervision and spot check records. We also looked at training records, quality audits and policies and procedures.

Updated 15 June 2017

This inspection took place between 2 and 10 May 2017. The inspection involved visits to the agency’s office and conversations with people, their relatives and staff. The agency was given two working days’ notice of the inspection.

The agency provided 160 people with a domiciliary service, for approximately 1,200 hours a week. Most people were older people or people who lived with long-term medical conditions. People received a range of different support in their own homes. Some people received occasional visits, for example weekly support to enable them to have a bath. Other people needed more frequent visits, including daily visits, and visits several times a day to support them with their personal care. This could include two care workers and the use of equipment to support their mobility. Some people needed support with medicines and meal preparation. The agency could also provide care workers at night, including sleeping-in duties and care workers who remained awake for some or all of the night.

Care at Home – Hastings, supplies a service to people in Hastings and surrounding rural areas. The provider is Care at Home Services (South East) Limited who provide domiciliary care services to people from different offices in the South East of England.

Care at Home – Hastings has a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Care at Home - Hastings was last inspected from 11 January to 1 February 2016. At that inspection, it was rated as requires improvement. At this inspection, we found the provider and registered manager had been successful in making necessary improvements

The provider had ensured the safety of people and others by developing its risk assessment and care planning processes. Staff we spoke with were aware of people’s risks and how they were to be reduced. This included among other areas, supporting people with moving safely and reducing their risk of pressure damage.

People’s safety when taking medicines had also been ensured. Care workers had clear information on people’s medicines and accurately completed records when they supported people in taking them.

People were fully involved in developing their own care plans. Staff told us people’s care plans gave them the information they needed to meet people’s needs. Where a person’s needs changed, their care plans were up-dated to reflect their current needs.

The provider had audited its recruitment processes and ensured new staff were safely recruited, to reduce risk to people as much as possible.

The provider’s systems for reviewing quality of care had been improved, to include regular audit of a wide range of areas of service provision. The opinions of both people and staff were sought, using a variety of means, and action had been taken when relevant, following comments made by people and staff.

There were no issues about missed calls due to staff shortages. People received continuity of care from the same team of care workers. People were informed of who would be visiting them and when.

People’s wishes were respected and their independence supported. People spoke warmly about the staffs' kind approach and how they respected their privacy and dignity. Staff knew how to support people if they became unwell. Where people needed support with eating and drinking, they said staff supported them in the way they needed.