Cottage HomeCare Services

Updated 24 April 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.’

Inspection team:

This inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Service and service type:

Cottage HomeCare Services is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. Not everyone using Cottage HomeCare Services received a regulated activity; the Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection, 59 people were receiving personal care.

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 it is small, and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be available on the days of our inspection.

Inspection site visit activity started on 28 March 2019 and ended on 29 March 2019. We visited the office location on the second day to see the registered manager and to review care records and policies and procedures. We visited four people in their own homes on the first day of our inspection.

What we did:

We reviewed information we had received about the service, this included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse or injuries; and we sought feedback from the local authority and other professionals who work with the service. We contacted the local authority safeguarding and commissioning teams to gather information about the service. They raised no concerns about the care and support people received from Cottage HomeCare Services. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During our inspection we spoke with five members of care staff including the management team, four people using the service, and three relatives. We reviewed five care files, five staff personnel files, medicine administration records and other records about the management of the service.

Updated 24 April 2019

About the service:

Cottage HomeCare Services is a domiciliary care agency. At the time of our inspection, the service was providing care to 59 people who were living in their own homes.

People’s experience of using this service:

¿ People spoke positively about the care they received. They told us care staff were kind and patent. One person told us, “They are really accommodating and help me out when I get stuck”.

¿ Care plans were person-centred and provided staff with the information they needed to provide care and support in a way that met people’s needs and preferences. The plans were regularly reviewed to take into account any changes in need.

¿ Staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse and people told us the care workers who supported them ensured their well-being. They said that staff were vigilant to their safety and that they ensured their security when entering and leaving their property.

¿ The service had systems in place to ensure the safe recruitment of staff. People told us that they were supported by staff who knew them well, and there was sufficient time to meet their needs.

¿ Staff had access to regular training and supervision to ensure they maintained good practice.

¿ Where people required assistance with medicines this was noted in their care plans and people and their relatives told us that staff were careful when administering medicines. Staff were attentive to people’s health needs and liaised with healthcare professionals as necessary.

¿ People told us that they were consulted about how they wanted their care to be delivered, and had consented to care and support. They were offered choices, and services were provided in line with mental capacity legislation.

¿ People told us that staff were generally punctual, but would phone if they were going to be delayed.

¿ The service had a complaints policy and people told us they would feel comfortable raising any concerns with the registered manager, and confident that they would be resolved. We saw complaints were identified, investigated and used to improve the service.

¿ There were processes in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service.

¿ The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. She was supported by a management team who had the knowledge and experience to operate the service safely and effectively. They demonstrated a good understanding of all aspects of managing the service.

¿ The service met the characteristics of good in all areas. More information is in the full report

Rating at last inspection:

At our last inspection, the service was rated “good”. Our last report was published on 21 September 2016.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection. Our announced inspection started on 28 March ended on 29 March 2019.

Follow up:

Going forward we will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with our reinspection schedule for services rated Good.

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