- Homecare service
Care at Home Group Cheshire East and West
Report from 15 August 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of the assessment 16 September 2024 to 22 October 2024. Care at Home Group, Cheshire East and Cheshire West is a domiciliary care service. There were 65 people using the service at the time of our assessment. This assessment was prompted by a review of information we held about the service. We have not previously rated this service. We assessed a total of 94 evidence categories from the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions. Our overall rating for this service is requires improvement. We found both good practice and areas of concern. We found 2 breaches of the legal regulation in relation to safe management of medicines and non-reporting of safeguarding events to CQC. The provider had systems in place to record events and report safeguarding incidents to the local authority. However, we found that not all safeguarding incidents had been reported to the CQC as required. Improvements were needed in the management and record-keeping of medicines to ensure people received them safely. While people’s care was assessed before services began, care reviews were not always conducted consistently or recorded in line with the provider’s policy. Despite these findings, most people felt safe during care calls and described staff as respectful and attentive in their care. Care plans were personalised to reflect individuals’ identities and preferences. Governance systems required strengthening, as they had not identified several issues highlighted during our assessment. At the time of the assessment, there was no registered manager in post, although the current manager had submitted an application to register with the CQC, which was under review. The manager demonstrated a clear plan and vision for developing the service, including improving engagement with staff and people and embedding changes through an action plan developed in collaboration with the local authority.
People's experience of this service
We received mixed feedback from people and their relatives regarding the care provided. While many people said they felt safe during care calls, concerns were raised about inconsistencies in call times and scheduling, which had impacted upon their overall experience. Some individuals noted recent improvements in these areas, but further progress was still required. People generally described care staff as friendly and respectful in their approach, although feedback indicated variability in care staff skills and competencies. Assessments were conducted by the provider before care began, however, most people reported not having opportunities to provide feedback or participate in care plan reviews. Some individuals shared that when they raised concerns with the provider, they did not always receive a response or see actions taken to address their issues.