We inspected this service on 17 February 2016 and the inspection was announced. This was to make sure there would be someone available in the office to facilitate our inspection. Coastal Homecare (Hove) Limited is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care and support services for people living in their own homes. These included older people, people living with dementia and people with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection 116 people were receiving a personal care service.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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
People were supported by kind, caring staff who knew them well. Staff had a good understanding of people’s care needs. Staff received the training and support they needed to undertake their role and were skilled in caring for people to maintain their independence. Risks to people were identified and managed in the least restrictive way and people’s independence was promoted. One person told us, “I’m arthritic but I like to get myself dressed as much as possible, it’s only the fastenings I need help with. I like to do as much as I can myself.”
There were systems and processes in place to keep people safe. Assessments of risk had been undertaken. One person said, “Oh yes, very safe and absolutely no concerns about my things. I’m happy for them to let themselves in with the key safe. I’m happy about that.” The provider had arrangements in place for the safe administration of medicines. People were supported to receive their medicine when they needed it. People were supported to maintain good health and had assistance to access to health care services when needed. A person told us, “I was having problems breathing so my carer rang my care link and advised to ring for an ambulance and then she stayed with me until the ambulance came. Wasn’t that wonderful that I wasn’t left alone?” The service followed safe recruitment practices.
People’s needs had been assessed and planned for with the person. Plans took into account people’s preferences, likes and dislikes and were reviewed on a regular basis. Staff worked in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and associated legislation. Staff observed the key principles in their day to day work checking with people that they were happy for them to undertake care tasks before they proceeded. People were supported to make their own decisions. One person told us “I recently asked for them to give me another call so someone could take me to the bank and help me with my shopping and it’s all sorted I only had to mention it.”
People confirmed staff respected their privacy and dignity. Staff understood the special responsibility of caring for people within their own home and providing them with choice and control. A member of staff told us, “We are visiting people in their own homes and we need to be aware of that. I think it’s about respecting their right to live as they want”.
People and staff spoke highly of the management. One person told us “[Named provider], the main chap, is ever so good, they all are.” A member of staff told us, “The management are good and supportive and have time if you need to speak with them about anything.” The management of the service was open and transparent and a culture of continuous learning and improvement was promoted. The provider had ensured there were robust processes in place for auditing and monitoring the quality of the service. Feedback was sought by the provider through the use of questionnaires that were sent to people, their relatives and staff. Survey results were positive. People and relatives we spoke with were aware of how to make a complaint and the provider responded to complaints in a timely manner with details of any action taken.