Elmar Home Care

About the service

Elmar Homecare is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. At the time of our inspection there were 67 people using the service some of whom had a learning disability.

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

Right Support:

Although the provider had systems in place in relation to call monitoring, people raised a number of issues with us about the timing of their care calls and the consistency of staff supporting them. People generally received support in line with their assessed needs. Assessments of people’s needs provided staff with guidance; however, some care plans would benefit from additional detail to improve the level of person-centred information for staff to follow. People's choices were generally promoted by staff who had a good understanding of how to promote people’s independence although one person told us a member of care staff had commented the person was “too independent.”

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.

Right Care:

Staff knew what to do to promote people’s safety and protect them from avoidable harm. Medicines were managed safely although one person raised concerns with us about how issues with timing of their calls affected the administration of their time critical medicine. Care records needed some additional information to help staff get to know and understand the person they were supporting. People did not always feel as though they had been supported in making decisions about their care or being involved in the care planning process. Staff knew what to do to make sure people’s privacy and dignity needs were met.

We have made a recommendation in relation to managing consistency of staff and monitoring call times.

Right Culture:

The providers governance systems required further development; audits were regularly completed; however, some improvements were needed to the audit system to make sure issues with care documentation, call times and other issues described to us by people who used the service, were addressed. The management team were proactive in addressing our feedback in relation to concerns people had raised with us and we acknowledge the disparity of feedback we received with feedback received by the service when they conducted their own telephone survey with people following our feedback to them. Further work was needed to make sure people felt empowered to have full involvement in their care. Staff received training in key areas before commencing employment. The provider evidenced oversight of staff’s compliance with training. The providers recruitment systems were safe and the majority of staff felt well supported, valued and included in the service.

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 22 September 2022 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led sections of this full 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.