Surrey and Hants Domiciliary Care Agency

Updated 31 December 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

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in two ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible, and also to people living in in their own houses and flats. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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 the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

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 reviewed information we had received about the service from the provider since the last inspection, such as notifications which the service is legally required to send us. We received feedback from the local authority. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

Some people were unable to speak with us due to their condition, however we spoke with three relatives of people who used the service about their experience of the care provided to their loved one. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, a field support worker, an administrator and one support worker. We reviewed full care plans for three people. We also viewed a selection of records relating to the recruitment and support of the staff team and the management and running of the service, including policies and procedures.

Updated 31 December 2019

About the service

Surrey and Hants Domiciliary Care Agency provides care and support to people living in supported living settings, and to people living in their own homes in the community, so that they can live as independently as possible and remain in their homes. The service supports people with a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection eight people received support.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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 asked for their consent to their care and staff supported them to make their own decisions.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were happy with the care they received and felt relaxed with staff, they told us they were treated with kindness. People said they felt safe, were well supported and there were sufficient staff to care for them. A relative told us, “Everything is fantastic and positive, it comforts me to know that they are not just caring for [my relative] now, but looking towards his future as well”.

People’s independence was promoted and they told us their needs were met. People had a regular team of care staff who arrived on time and knew them well. A relative told us, “They give [my relative] the opportunity to do so many different things. Everything they do is with her in mind and what makes her happy and independent”.

People felt they were offered choice in the way their care was delivered and that they had no concerns around their dignity and privacy in their own homes being respected. A relative told us, “The care is really good, I can’t fault them. I know that [my relative] is happy and that’s the best thing, that makes me happy”.

Staff had received essential training and feedback from people indicated that they knew the best way to care for people in line with their needs and preferences. 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.

The provider had systems of quality assurance to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement. These systems also supported people to stay safe by assessing and mitigating risks, ensuring that people were cared for in a person-centred way and that the provider learned from any mistakes.

People told us they thought the service was well managed and they received high quality care that met their needs and improved their wellbeing from dedicated and enthusiastic staff. A relative told us, “They are a big company, but you wouldn’t know it, as they are really personal and it feels like they are a small company just specialising for [my relative]”.

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 11 January 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.