We carried out a review of the data available to us about Heritage Care At Home Ltd (HCH) on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Heritage Care At Home Ltd (HCH), you can give feedback on this service.
Heritage Care at Home Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in rural and coastal areas of Suffolk. At the time of our inspection they were supporting 51 people.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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
People were supported by staff who had completed the relevant training to give them the skills and knowledge they needed to meet their needs. People were supported to have sufficient amounts to eat and drink and were protected against the risk of poor nutrition. Staff supported people to maintain their health and well-being. 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. However, care records needed to be strengthened in some areas to ensure the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were being followed. We have made a recommendation about this.
Risks had been assessed and those identified were safely managed; some improvements were however needed to ensure adequate guidance was in place for staff delivering care. The provider had recruitment checks in place to ensure staff were suitable to work in people's homes. Staff showed a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities of keeping people safe from harm. Medicines were managed safely.
Staff treated people in a kind and caring way. People and relatives valued the service and the support the staff provided. Staff treated people with respect and helped them to maintain their independence and dignity.
People were supported to express their wishes and preferences regarding their care and staff provided personalised care. Care records needed further detail in some cases to ensure they were person-centred and sufficiently detailed for staff. People and relatives were confident to raise concerns and complaints, and these were listened to, resolved and used to drive improvements in the service.
The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service to ensure people received good care. People, relatives and staff were given the opportunity to feedback on their experience of the service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 17 July 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Heritage Care at Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
The service had a registered manager who was also a director of the provider company. 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.
Care staff knew how to keep people safe from harm and what action they should take if they considered anyone was at risk. Where the service had identified risks to people, they put measures in place to minimise them and help prevent re-occurrences. The provider undertook a number of checks prior to employing new staff to make sure only suitable staff were employed.
Care staff received training and support to make sure the care they provided was in line with best
practice and met people's needs. They sought consent and knew how to maintain people's privacy and dignity when providing personal care.
People told us the management team was approachable and if they had any issues or concerns they would be able to raise them, and that they would be listened to and taken seriously. The registered manager undertook a range of checks and audits to continually monitor the quality of the service. Support plans were reviewed regularly so they reflected people's changing needs.
People benefitted from a regular team of care staff who knew them well. Care was provided in accordance with the needs and preferences of the individual.