H.M. Care Agency

Updated 6 June 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: The service was inspected by one inspector.

Service and service type: This is a domiciliary care service. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

The service is a sole provider and is not required to have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that the provider is solely legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection: We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small, and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Inspection site visit activity started on 13 May 2019 and ended on 22 May 2019. We visited the office location on 15 May 2019 to see the manager and office staff and some care staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse. We sought feedback from the local authority and we assessed the information in the provider information return. This is key information providers are required to send us about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps inform our inspections.

During the inspection, we spoke with five people who used the service, to ask about their experience of the care provided and two family members.

We spoke with 10 staff including the co-director, care manager, two team leaders and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records about people's care and how the service was managed. This included looking at four people's care records and a sample of people's medicines administration records. We reviewed records of meetings, staff rotas and staff training records. We also reviewed the records of accidents, incidents, complaints and quality assurance audits the management team had completed.

Updated 6 June 2019

HM Care Agency is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults, younger adults, physical disability, sensory impairment, mental health and dementia. At the time of our inspection, 20 people were using the service.

Not everyone using HM Care Agency receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service:

People and their relatives were positive about the service and the care provided.

People were supported for by staff who knew how to keep them safe and protect them from avoidable harm. Regular, knowledgeable staff were available to meet people's needs. People received their medicines regularly and systems were in place for the safe management of medicines. Incidents and accidents were investigated, and actions were taken to prevent recurrence. Staff followed infection control and prevention procedures.

People's needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered to meet legislation and good practice guidance. Care was delivered by staff who were well trained and knowledgeable about people's care and support needs. People had choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The management team and staff had a good understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

People were cared for by staff who were kind and compassionate. People said staff were warm and considerate towards them. People and their relatives felt involved and supported in decision making. People's privacy was respected, and their dignity maintained.

Staff were responsive to people's individual needs and wishes and had an in-depth knowledge about each person. Relatives confirmed staff knew their family members needs well. People's concerns were listened to and action was taken to improve the service as a result.

The management team were open, approachable and focussed on providing person centred care. The management team had encouraged staff to become ambassadors in different areas, such as dignity and safe guarding to improve people’s outcomes. Systems were in the process of being updated to improve the monitoring of the quality of care provided. The management team and staff shared effective communication and a passion for quality care.

Rating at last inspection: Comprehensive inspection completed 18 October 2016. The overall rating was Good.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on previous rating of good.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our methodology. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

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