Northern Home Care Ltd

Updated 30 August 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 conducted by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

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.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period of notice for the inspection because we needed to give people the opportunity to meet with the inspector in their own homes.

Inspection activity started on 14 August 2019 and ended on the same day. We visited the office location on 14 August 2019.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 with two people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager and two care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff 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.

Updated 30 August 2019

About the service

Northern Home Care is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection five people were receiving care.

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

People were well protected from the risk of abuse or neglect and told us the service helped them to feel safe. Staff had completed training in adult safeguarding and understood their responsibilities to report concerns. Appropriate checks were completed before new staff started work. Staff reported incidents and accidents in sufficient detail to aid analysis and reduce risk.

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 to maintain a healthy diet in accordance with their needs and preferences. Northern Home Care worked with other agencies to provide care which had a positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing. When people were unwell staff acted promptly to ensure that they received appropriate care and treatment. People were involved in discussions about their care and their outcomes were good. Staff were given training in accordance with recognised standards for care staff. Staff told us that they felt well supported.

People and their relatives spoke very positively about the caring nature of staff. They told us that they were always treated well by staff and were consulted about their care. Staff were clear about their responsibilities in relation to equality and diversity and supported people appropriately. People were encouraged to comment on the provision of care and were actively involved in the decision-making process through discussions with staff and regular meetings. Important decisions were recorded in care records and reviewed. Staff explained how they supported people with their personal care needs in a discrete and sensitive manner.

We saw evidence that people’s individual needs and preferences were considered as part of the care planning process. We also saw that needs and preferences were reflected in the way care was provided. Staff understood the need for effective communication and met the requirements of the Accessible Information Standard (AIS). People understood the complaints procedure and were provided with a written copy. The service had not received any recent complaints. The service did not routinely support people receiving end of life care.

Each of the staff we spoke with understood their role and responsibilities. Throughout the inspection the comments and behaviours of the registered manager and staff consistently reflected their commitment to a person-centred service. It was clear that this had resulted in positive outcomes for people. Staff told us that they would not hesitate to inform senior staff of a concern or error. We saw evidence errors and performance issues had been recorded, reported and addressed appropriately. The service made effective use of audits, reports and other forms of communication to monitor and improve the safety and quality of care. Partnerships had been developed with other services in the area to improve outcomes for people.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 17 February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous 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.