Home Heroes

Updated 10 November 2018

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 was on the 28 September 2018 and 01 October 2018 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection visit because we wanted to ensure there was somebody at the location to facilitate our inspection. The Inspection team consisted of one 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 service.

We visited the office location on 28 September 2018 to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. On 1st October 2018 our Expert By Experience conducted ten calls to people who used the service.

We looked at information received from the local authority commissioners, and the statutory notifications the manager had sent us. Commissioners are people who work to find appropriate care and support services which are paid for by the local authority. We used all this information to plan what areas we were going to focus on during our inspection visit.

During our inspection visit to the office we spoke with the registered manager, a care coordinator and two carers. We reviewed three people's care plans and daily records to see how their care and treatment was planned and delivered. We looked at how medicines were managed by checking the Medicine Administration Record [MAR] charts for three people. We reviewed staff training records, rotas and the provider's audits which they used to monitor the quality of the service. Our Expert by Experience conducted ten calls to people of which five people who used the service and two relatives engaged in telephone interviews.

Updated 10 November 2018

This inspection took place on 28 September and 1st October 2018 and was announced. We informed the provider 48 hours in advance of our visit that we would be inspecting. This was to ensure there was somebody at the location to facilitate our inspection. This was the providers first rating inspection.

Home Heroes is registered to provide the regulated activity of personal care. This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older and younger adults. There were 20 people using this service at the time of our inspection. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene, and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

There was 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.

People were supported by carers who knew how to keep them safe from harm or abuse and supported them with risks to their well-being within their own home. People were happy that they received their calls on time and at the frequency they needed. Staff maintained good standards of cleanliness and hygiene in their home. Accidents and incidents were monitored and acted on to prevent reoccurrence.

People were fully involved in an assessment of their needs and the provider ensured staff received appropriate training to meet people’s needs. People were well supported with their meals and had access to drinks. Staff supported people to maintain their health and to access health professionals when needed. People’s consent to care was sought appropriately, they made their own decisions and their independence was respected.

People were treated with kindness by staff who they had on a regular basis. Staff were respectful of people and protected their privacy and dignity.

The support people received was responsive to their needs and met people’s preferences. People were confident any complaints they had would be listened to and resolved.

The registered manager had been proactive and regularly talked to people about the quality of their care. Staff felt valued and were well supported to deliver best practice. The registered manager was committed to continuous learning and her efforts had been recognised by external organisations who shared best practice ideas. The provider had effective systems in place which had been used consistently to monitor the quality and safety of the service.