8 December 2015
During a routine inspection
New Hope Care is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care support to people in their own homes. At the time of our visit the agency supported 24 people with personal care. People who used the service had a variety of care needs. Some people had very complex needs with several care calls a day and others required one call a day. Most of the people that used the service were older people.
A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager had left the service in August 2015. A new manager was in post since September and in the process of applying for registration.
Overall people and their relatives told us they felt safe using the service. Care staff had a good understanding of what constituted abuse and knew what to do if they had any concerns. The manager had acted accordingly when concerns had been identified.
People did not always have consistent care staff who arrived on time and, at times, calls were missed. Care staff told us there was enough of them to provide the support people required. The management team had identified improvements were required with the scheduling of care visits.
There were processes to minimise risks to people’s safety; these included procedures to manage identified risks with people’s care and for managing people’s medicines safely. People received their medicine when required and from care staff trained to administer this.
Checks were carried out prior to care staff starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service. Care staff received an induction and a programme of training to support them in meeting people’s needs effectively.
The manager understood their responsibility to comply with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Care staff understood the principles of the Act and gained people’s consent before they carried out care tasks.
People who required support with their nutritional needs had enough to eat and drink. People were assisted to manage their health needs and supported to access the support of other professionals if this was required. Care records contained relevant information for care staff to help them provide people with personalised care and support.
People told us care staff were kind and caring and had the right skills and experience to provide the care and support they required. Care staff supported people with dignity and respect, whilst promoting their independence.
Overall people and staff told us the management team were approachable. However, some people told us it was not always easy to contact them when they wished to do so. People knew how to complain and could share their views and opinions about the service they received.
Care staff told us they felt supported in their roles and could raise any concerns or issues with the manager, knowing they would be listened to and acted on.
There were processes to monitor the quality of the service provided and understand the experiences of people who used the service. This was through regular communication with people and staff, surveys, checks on care staff to make sure they worked in line with policies and procedures and a programme of other checks and audits.