Background to this inspection
Updated
1 February 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.
Our inspection was discussed and arranged with the manager two working days in advance, in line with our domiciliary care service methodology. This was to ensure we had time to visit and contact people who used the service and speak with the registered manager and staff.
Before the inspection visit we reviewed the information we held about the service, including notifications of incidents the registered manager had sent us and feedback from the local authority.
We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
At the time of this inspection the agency was supporting approximately 243 people who wished to retain their independence and continue living in their own home. Some people had their care purchased by a local authority, some were funded through the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and others were paying privately for the service.
The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors and two experts-by-experience. An expert-by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The experts by experience had experience of supporting and caring for young and older people.
On 15 January 2018 we spoke with 13 people who used the service and seven relatives over the telephone and visited five people in their own homes to ask their opinions of the service. Whilst out on home visits we spoke with five people who used the service, two relatives and two care workers.
On 16 January 2018 we visited the agency office and spoke with the registered manager and the regional director. We also spoke with 11 members of staff, including, care coordinators, team leaders, care workers and quality officers. We reviewed a range of records about people's care and how the domiciliary care agency was managed. These included care records for ten people, including their medicine administration record (MARs), four staff training, support and employment records, quality assurance audits and findings from questionnaires that the registered provider had sent to people.
Updated
1 February 2018
We undertook an announced inspection of Ark Home Healthcare Rotherham on 15 and 16 January 2018. We gave the registered manager short notice that we would be coming because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we wanted to ensure the registered manager was available.
Ark Home Healthcare Rotherham is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care for people in their own homes. Ark Home Healthcare Rotherham provides care to people in both the Rotherham and Doncaster area.
This was Ark Home Healthcare Rotherham first inspection since they registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January 2017.
There was a manager at the service who was registered with CQC. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People who used the service, their relatives, staff and other interested parties spoke positively about Ark Home Healthcare Rotherham. Their comments included, “They [care workers] are really good, nothing is too much trouble,” and “They [staff] are the tops. I didn’t think I needed them and now I couldn’t manage without them.”
People told us they felt safe and were protected from abuse by staff that were knowledgeable and had the right skills to meet their needs. People said they received good quality care and that staff treated them with dignity, respect, kindness and care.
Risk assessments relating to people's health needs and the environment helped protect the health and welfare of people who used the service. People were supported to maintain good health. Where necessary referrals to other healthcare professionals were made which promoted people’s wellbeing.
Systems were in place to make sure people received their medicines safely, which included key staff receiving medicine training and regular audits of the system. People told us they always received their medicines at the appropriate times.
The registered provider had a policy and procedure in place for the safe recruitment of staff. We found some small gaps in the information required to be kept in staff files. This was rectified on the day of the inspection.
People who used the service and their relatives had no concerns about the reliability and consistency of the service. People told us the staff rotas were well planned and they had regular care workers that provided consistent levels of care and who knew how to look after them.
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.
Staff told us they felt very well supported, particularly by the team leaders. They said regular supervisions and appraisals were provided with appropriate frequency and in line with the registered provider's policies.
People’s care and support was planned by a multi-disciplinary team of people. People told us they were supported to maintain good health and wellbeing, which included being provided with a nutritionally balanced diet and plenty of drinks.
People said they had their own regular care workers who knew them well and cared for them as agreed in their care plans. Each person's care plan was updated regularly and changes made where necessary.
People and their relatives felt able to report any concerns and said they were confident these would be dealt with.
Staff said communication at the service was very good and they felt able to talk to the managers' and make suggestions. There were meetings for staff where they could share ideas and good practice.
Staff told us they enjoyed working for Ark Home Healthcare Rotherham. They told us the registered manager and other senior staff were approachable and supportive. Regular staff meetings meant that staff were able to make suggestions about how the service could be improved. Staff told us their views were always listened to.
Quality assurance audits were carried out to identify how the service could improve and the registered manager had an on-going and effective improvement plan for the service.