Heritage Healthcare Epsom

Heritage Healthcare Epsom is a domiciliary care agency providing support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 40 people receiving support with their personal care. 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 received safe care that was free from discrimination. Safeguarding adult’s policies and procedures were in place and adhered to. Assessments were undertaken to identify risks to people’s safety and plans were in place to manage and mitigate those risks. Where required staff supported people safely with their medicines management. Appropriate practices were in place to minimise the risk and spread of infection.

There were safe recruitment practices in place and sufficient numbers of staff to support people. People received care from a consistent staff team whom they had built a good relationship with. Staff had the knowledge and skills to undertake their role and were required to undertake regular training.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Clear assessments were undertaken to identify people’s support needs, including support they required with personal care, nutrition and health needs. People, and their relatives, were involved in their care and attended regular care reviews.

People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was maintained. Staff supported people to be as independent as possible and supported them in line with their recovery and rehabilitation. If needed, social calls were available to protect people from the risk of feeling lonely.

There were systems in place to review the safety and quality of service delivery, including through regular spot checks on the delivery of care. There was a commitment to continuous improvement and prompt action was taken in response to any concerns identified. The new manager in post had plans to reinstate measures to gather feedback from people, relatives and staff, and further involve them in service development.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 27 December 2017).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

This was the first inspection of Cheam Village. Unity Healthcare UK Limited registered Cheam Village with the CQC in December 2016. They started providing personal care in March 2017 and at the time of inspection they were supporting four people with their personal care. Unity Healthcare UK Limited is a franchise of Heritage Healthcare.

A registered manager was 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.

People felt safe using the service and receiving care. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Staff safeguarded people from harm and were aware of the plans in place to mitigate any risks to their safety. People received support with the application of topical creams and accurate records were maintained. Staff adhered to good practice in regards to the prevention and control of infections.

Staff received a range of training to ensure they had the knowledge to meet people’s needs. Competency checks were undertaken to ensure staff had the skills to undertake their duties safely. At the time of inspection each person had the capacity to make their own decisions and staff adhered to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Most people were independent in regards to meal preparation and arranging healthcare support. Staff provided any support in regards to this people required.

People said staff were kind and caring. Care workers had built caring relationships with the people they supported. People were involved in decisions about their care. Staff took account of any support people required in regards to their ethnicity, religion and communication needs. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity.

Staff assessed people’s needs and developed care plans, with people’s input, about how support was to be provided. There was an electronic system in place to monitor the support provided and technology was available to all care workers to access care plans and maintain detailed records of the support provided. There was a complaints process in place. No complaints had yet been received.

Processes were in place to support people and there were mechanisms to get feedback from people, relatives and staff about their experiences of the service. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of service delivery and make improvements where required. The registered manager was aware of their CQC registration responsibilities.