Coastal Homecare (Hove) Limited

Updated 22 November 2018

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

This inspection site visit took place on 9 October 2018 and was announced. We gave the service48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because staff were often out of the office providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in. Inspection activity started on 5 October 2018 and ended on 9 October 2018.

This was a comprehensive inspection carried out by one inspector and an expert 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. The expert by experience called people who used the service on the day of the site visit.

Before the inspection we reviewed information relating to the service including; correspondence from people and professionals and notifications sent to us by the registered manager. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We also used information the provider sent to us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During our inspection we spoke with 10 people, six relatives, two care workers, a supervisor, the registered manager and a director. We observed staff working in the office dealing with issues and speaking with people who used the service over the telephone.

We reviewed a range of records about people's care and how the service was managed. These included the care records for six people, staff training, two staff employment records, quality assurance audits, incident reports and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 22 November 2018

Coastal Homecare (Hove) Limited is a domiciliary care service. The service provides personal care to adults living in their own homes in the community. These included people living with dementia, a mental health illness, a physical disability, a learning disability, people with substance misuse or sensory impairment. On the day of inspection there were 120 people who received support with the regulated activity of personal care.

At our last inspection on 17 February 2016 we rated the service Good.

At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People continued to be protected from the risk of harm. Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding and knew how to report concerns. Staff recruitment practices remained in safe. Checks were made to ensure staff were of good character and suitable for their role. Risks to people's personal safety were assessed and plans remained in place to minimise identified risks to people. One person told us, “They help you avoid risks, there are now no trip hazards in my bungalow.” People's medicines continued to be managed safely. Staff had a good understanding of infection control procedures.

People's needs and choices continued to be assessed prior to people using the service and regularly thereafter. People continued to receive effective care and support from staff who were well trained and supported in their roles. People continued to be supported to access healthcare services and staff responded to people’s health needs. People were supported with their dietary needs, where needed.

People and their relatives all told us staff were kind and compassionate. Staff knew people’s preferences and personalities and spoke positively about people they supported. People and their relatives, if appropriate, were fully involved in discussions about their care. Staff remained respectful of people's privacy and maintained their dignity. People’s confidentiality was respected.

People and their families continued to be involved in developing their care and support plans. People’s care plans were personalised and reflected people's needs and choices. People were given information in a way they could understand. The registered manager had considered the use of assistive technologies to improve people's experience. Complaints continued to be responded to in a timely manner. Staff continued to support people sensitively at the end of their lives.

People and staff spoke highly of the management of the service. One person told us the registered manager was, “Very conscientious and considerate.” The culture of the service continued to be positive and respected people's equality, diversity and human rights. The registered manager had a keen focus on quality assurance to drive improvements to the service people received. People and staff remained engaged and involved in the service provided and staff worked with other organisations to ensure people’s needs were met.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.