Right at Home Havant and Petersfield

Updated 13 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 took place on 3 and 4 September 2018 and was announced. We gave the registered manager 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is a domiciliary care agency and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Before the inspection, we reviewed all the information we held about the service including any notifications received by the Care Quality Commission. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law.

The inspection was completed by one inspector. Inspection site visit activity started on 3 September 2018 and ended on 4 September 2018. We visited the office location on both days to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. We also visited and telephoned people using the service for their feedback.

During the inspection we spoke to eight people, five relatives, five care staff, the nominated individual, registered manager and quality and compliance manager. We observed interaction between staff and people. We reviewed documentation including four people’s care records, five employment files, training records, staff induction, complaints, accidents and incidents, policies and procedures and safeguarding records. We received information from six external professionals about the service. Some of the people we visited were unable to fully express their views of the service but we observed the interactions between staff and those people.

This was the service’s first inspection since registration with the Care Quality Commission.

Updated 13 November 2018

This inspection took place on 3 and 4 September 2018 and was announced. Right at Home Havant and District is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older people and younger adults living with physical disability, dementia and sensory impairment. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 33 people with personal care. Not everyone using the service 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.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

There was consistent, excellent feedback from everyone we spoke to about the leadership of the service including the provider and registered manager.

The service was an important part of the local community. The provider had developed exceptional links to local organisations and services that valued working with the service. These links benefitted people using the service and local people. The provider had plans to further develop these links.

Governance systems were highly robust and ensured the service maintained an excellent standard of care being provided.

There was a strong emphasis on continuous learning and improvement within the service. Incidents and accidents were recorded and explored for lessons that could be learned.

People received excellent person-centred care where staff knew people exceptionally well. People were encouraged to live their lives as fully and independently as possible.

Staff went the extra mile to arrange meaningful and enjoyable activities for people. Staff consistently worked hard to reduce the social isolation of people.

Staff were genuinely valued by people, relatives, the provider and registered manager. Staff received excellent support and felt proud to work for the service. They were well supported throughout their induction to the service and then on an ongoing basis.

The service consistently responded to complaints appropriately; people and relatives felt comfortable to raise concerns though those we spoke to had not needed to. The service had consistently received excellent compliments from people that the care they had received was of high quality. The service sought and monitored feedback from people and relatives regularly.

The service was highly open, honest and inclusive. Diverse needs were met in innovative ways in respect of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010.

People were consistently positive about the caring and compassionate approach of staff. People and relatives were always involved in the planning of care.

Care records contained excellent detail and person-centred information.

People were treated with dignity and kindness in all of their interactions with staff.

Staff were confident in identifying and escalating safeguarding concerns. The registered manager had made referrals to the local authority safeguarding team appropriately.

Staff had a good understanding of risks to people and how to minimise those risks. They raised concerns about health and wellbeing appropriately.

Staff had been recruited safely because the provider operated an effective recruitment process and undertook appropriate pre-employment checks.

There were sufficient numbers of staff available to support people. The service responded to needs for flexibility around visit times as much as they were able to.

Staff supported people to take their medicines safely.

Staff followed infection control procedures to prevent the spread of infection.

Staff had received training to enable them to carry out their role effectively.

People were supported to have maximum 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.

People’s nutritional needs were monitored and the service promoted a healthy balanced diet for people.

Incidents which required reporting to CQC were being reported.