Archived: PSA Home Care

Updated 20 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 undertaken by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

The service was registered to one person who is the provider and therefore the service does not require a registered manager. The provider was the registered person. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run. The registered provider had overall responsibility for the service.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 13 June 2019 and ended on 21 June 2019. We spoke with staff on 13 June, visited the office location on 14 June and spoke with people and relatives on 13, 17 and 21 June.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last 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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with one person and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with two staff and the provider. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care plans and associated records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. 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 provider to validate evidence. We spoke with people and relatives. We looked at feedback the provider had received.

Updated 20 July 2019

About the service

PSA Homecare provides care and support to adults in their own homes. The service provides support for mainly older people. At the time of the inspection it provided a personal care service to four people. They provided visits to people for a minimum of one hour and provided 24-hour care to support people. The service provided care and support to people in Kent.

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

People were protected from abuse, discrimination and avoidable harm by staff who knew how to identify and report any concerns. Risks to people’s health, safety and well-being were assessed, monitored and reviewed and action was taken to reduce risks. People were supported by a small, consistent staff team who had been recruited safely. People and their relatives told us their calls were on time and there had not been any missed calls. People continued to be supported to have their medicines safely and on time.

People’s physical, mental health and social needs were assessed and regularly reviewed. Staff continued to complete training to keep up to date with best practice. The provider tried, as far as possible, to match people and staff who had shared interests. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet. Staff promoted healthy eating and provided home-cooked meals when required. The provider and staff worked with health care professionals to make sure people remained as healthy as possible. 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 and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring. People’s privacy and dignity were promoted, and their choices respected. People and their relatives continued to be involved in making decisions about their care. Staff encouraged people to remain as independent as possible. Staff worked closely as a team and respected each other. One staff had commented to the provider, ‘I would like to compliment [staff] on everything they do for [person]. They are consistently attentive to all their needs and support to me too. They are dependable. It is a pleasure to work in a team that is so close and so supportive to each other’.

People continued to receive care that was planned to reflect their individual physical, mental health, and social and emotional needs. The provider and staff recorded all the information on an electronic care planning system. Any changes to a person’s care and support were updated immediately. People and their relatives knew how to complain and told us they had no complaints. The provider had not received any complaints in the last 12 months. The provider regularly received positive feedback from people, their relatives, staff and health care professionals. People’s choices for their end of life care were recorded and kept under review to make sure people’s wishes could be followed. Staff worked closely with people’s GPs and the community nursing team to ensure people remained comfortable and pain-free.

People, their relatives and staff told us the service was well-led. The provider lead by example and coached and mentored their staff team. There was an open and transparent culture where people’s opinions were valued. There were effective checks and audits to make sure a high quality of service was provided. The provider understood their regulatory responsibilities and kept up to date with changes in legislation. The provider worked to continually make improvements and had a clear vision and set of values for the service which was shared by staff. Staff were proud to work for PSA Home Care.

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 23 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.