Meadowvale Homecare Ltd

Updated 23 November 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and two Experts 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.

Service and service type

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

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 25 October 2022 and ended on 3 November 2022. We visited the location’s office on 25 October 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 13 people who used the service and 12 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 11 members of staff including the company director, the registered manager, the deputy manager and 8 support workers. We spoke with 1 professional who worked with the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 8 people’s care records, 3 staff recruitment files and multiple medication records. A variety of documents relating to the management of the service, including policies, training records, maintenance records and quality assurance documents were reviewed.

Updated 23 November 2022

About the service

Meadowvale Homecare Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to young adults and older adults, including people living with dementia. At the time of inspection, 39 people were using the service and receiving personal care.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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

Risks to people were appropriately assessed and managed. Guidance was in place to support staff to safely care for people. People told us they felt safe, and staff knew how to safeguard people from the risk of harm. Staff were recruited safely. Medicines were managed safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed. Staff wore PPE correctly and had received training in infection control.

People’s needs and preferences were robustly assessed. People were involved in the planning of their care. Staff were suitably trained to carry out their roles. Staff supported people to access healthcare services. 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 were treated with kindness and respect. Staff supported and promoted people’s privacy, dignity and independence. Staff supported people to do things they enjoyed.

People received person-centred care which met their individual needs. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s likes and dislikes. People were supported to communicate effectively, and the provider used easy read documents and pictorial cues to assist with this. People were supported to take part in activities and build and maintain relationships.

The quality of the service had improved since our previous inspection. Regular audits were carried out, and action plans were developed in response to audit findings. The provider was committed to continuous development and improvement. Staff felt supported by management and regular staff meetings took place. People were asked for feedback and actions were taken in response.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 26 February 2021) and there were breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.