Holistic Homecare Ltd

Updated 5 January 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 checked 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.

This inspection took place on 15 and 18 December 2017 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours notice of the inspection visit because the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or visiting people. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

We visited two people who received support at their homes on 15 December 2017 to ask their opinions of the service and to check their care files.

We visited the services office on 18 December 2017 to see the registered manager, some staff and to review care records and policies and procedures.

The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors 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. The expert by experience had experience in caring for older people.

Before the inspection visit, we reviewed the information we held about the service, including the Provider Information Return (PIR), which the registered provider completed before the inspection. The PIR is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed information we had received since the last inspection including notifications of incidents that the registered provider had sent us.

We contacted Sheffield local authority to obtain their views of the service. All of the comments and feedback received were reviewed and used to assist and inform our inspection.

We spoke with the registered provider/ registered manager, a director, a supervisor and three care workers in person during the visit to the office. We spoke with two people receiving support, and one of their relative’s, in person at their homes.

We telephoned 12 people who received support and managed to speak with 6 people receiving a service, or their relatives, to obtain their views.

We reviewed a range of records, which included care records for four people, four staff training, support and employment records and other records relating to the management of the domiciliary care agency.

Updated 5 January 2018

Holistic Homecare is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. The registered provider informed us that at the time of this inspection, Holistic Homecare was providing a service to adults and older adults from diverse multicultural backgrounds. Fourteen people were supported by the agency. Seventeen care workers were employed by the agency. The service office is based in the S3 area of Sheffield.

There was a manager at the service who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Our last inspection at Holistic Homecare took place on 28 October 2016. We found three breaches in the regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. These were breaches in Regulation 12: Safe care and treatment, Regulation 17: Good governance and Regulation 19: Fit and proper persons employed.

Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do, and by when, to improve the key questions asking if the service was safe and if the service was well led, to at least good.

At this inspection, we found sufficient improvements had been made to meet the requirements of Regulation 12: Safe care and treatment, as care plans contained accurate detail regarding the support required with medicines and appropriate safeguarding training had been provided to staff.

We found sufficient improvements had been made to meet the requirements of Regulation 17: Good governance, as systems were in place to effectively monitor the quality and safety of the service.

We also found sufficient improvements had been made to meet the requirements of Regulation 19: Fit and proper persons employed, as the recruitment files checked contained full and relevant information.

This inspection took place on 15 and 18 December 2017 and was announced. We gave the registered manager 48 hours notice of our inspection to make sure the registered manager, some staff and some people receiving support would be available to meet and speak with us.

People spoke very positively about the support provided to them. They told us they felt safe and their care workers were respectful and kind.

We found there were systems in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff we spoke with were able to explain the procedures to follow should an allegation of abuse be made. Assessments identified risks to people, and management plans to reduce the risks were in place to ensure people's safety.

We found systems were in place to make sure people received their medicines safely so their health was looked after.

Staff recruitment procedures were robust to ensure people’s safety was promoted.

There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service.

Staff were provided with relevant training so they had the skills and knowledge they needed to undertake their role.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The registered provider’s policies and systems supported this practice. People had consented to receiving care and support from Holistic homecare.

Visit times were flexible to support people’s access to health professionals to help maintain their health.

People were supported to maintain a healthy diet which took into account their culture, needs and preferences, so their health was promoted and choices could be respected.

Staff knew the people they supported very well. People’s privacy and dignity was respected and promoted. Staff understood how to support people in a sensitive way.

People said they could speak with their care workers or the registered manager if they had any worries or concerns and they would be listened to.

There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.