Bury Home Care

Updated 19 July 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 was carried out by 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 care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a six-week rehabilitation for people leaving hospital and also provides care and support when Suffolk Council is unable to find a supplier.

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 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that someone would be available to provide the information we needed on our inspection.

Inspection activity started on 6 June 2019 and ended on 14 June 2019. We visited the office location on 6 June 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 of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with nine people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 15 members of staff including the registered manager, team leaders and reablement support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records. 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 registered to validate evidence found. We sought feedback from professionals and commissioners of the service.

Updated 19 July 2019

Bury Home Care provides a stepping stone to independence, providing people with support to regain skills they may have lost during a period in hospital, learn new ones and adapt to the challenges that independent living can present. It is a short-term service of up to six weeks, which is implemented free of charge following a person's discharge from hospital or significant change in their ability to cope at home. Support is also used as an assessment to determine whether a longer term care package is required. At the time of inspection 100 people were using the service.

Bury Home Care also provides care and support when Suffolk County Council is unable to source another care provider.

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

The reablement ethos ran through the service with staff using their reablement skills whenever they provided care and support. Through effective reablement and close working with partners people were supported to achieve high reablement goals.

People received a safe service. Risks were assessed and mitigated by staff working with other healthcare professionals to promote positive risk taking in the reablement process.

Staff spoke highly about the training and support provided. They told us they felt valued and supported both to provide high quality care and with their own development which, in turn, resulted in outstanding support for people. They told us they were proud to work for an organisation that provided high quality care

The service had an open and caring culture. People told us how supportive and caring staff were towards them. This caring and open culture was reflected throughout the service by the way staff worked as a team and with other healthcare professionals.

A thorough assessment of people’s needs before they left hospital meant that they received care which effectively met their needs and enabled them to regain lost skills. This included the prompt supply of equipment facilitated by joint working between the service and the local CCG.

Care plans reflected people’s needs. They were constantly updated and adapted as people’s needs changed as their reablement progressed. This supported people to achieve ambitious reablement goals within a realistic time scale.

Through joint working with the local Clinical Commissioning Group the service had significantly reduced the amount time of between people being assessed as able to leave hospital and actually going home with the necessary support in place.

Staff and other healthcare professionals considered the service was exceptionally well run with a knowledgeable manager.

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.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good. (21 December 2016).

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.

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