Heritage Staffing Services

Heritage Staffing Services is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 71 people using the service.

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

We received negative feedback from some people and their representatives, especially when people were being supported by staff they did not know. In these instances, we were told care was rushed and task-focused. Feedback was positive about care provided by named staff.

Systems were not always being used to manage risk and promote wellbeing, such as the monitoring of visit times. The registered manager was committed to improving the service and learning lessons after feedback. However, they did not always check to see whether any changes they had made were working. The provider had not always notified CQC, as required.

Staff did not always work alongside other professionals to manage risk and ensure there were no gaps in care. Improvements were needed to the care planning and monitoring of the medicines people received. Some staff did not minimise the risk of infection when cleaning people’s homes. Staff minimised the risk of COVID-19 through their use of personal protective equipment.

Staff had the skills to meet people’s needs. Staff were recruited safely. Staff were positive about the registered manager and communication within the service.

The registered manager had taken action to safeguard people when concerns were raised about an individual’s safety. 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.

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 10 September 2018).

Why we inspected

We received concerns following safeguarding investigations around quality of care and management of the service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well led sections of this report.

The registered manager provided assurances they were taking action in relation to the concerns we found.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Heritage Staffing Services on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach in relation to poor governance at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

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

Heritage Staffing Services is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to adults of all ages living in their own homes. There was only one person using the service at the time of this inspection.

The person using the service received their care and support safely. Staff understood how to support them and protect them from the risk of harm. The service recruited and employed people safely and had sufficient staff to meet people’s needs now and if the service increased in the future.

Processes were in place for the management and administration of medicines. Staff had access to personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons when needed and knew how to protect people from the risk of infection.

The persons care needs had been assessed and their care plan reviewed as their needs changed. Staff were well trained and supervised. They knew how to support the person effectively and this included personal care, drinks and meals if required and companionship.

Staff were available to help people attend healthcare appointments if needed. The service worked well in partnership with other services to ensure the person received care which was seamless and reassuring to the person.

The service worked in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) to ensure people had as much choice and control over their lives as possible. The service had carried out appropriate assessments in line with legislation and the person was asked their consent before any care and support was given.

Staff were caring, kind and friendly. The person supported was encouraged to maintain and improve their independence where possible. Staff gave them the time they needed and respected their dignity and privacy.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs and care plans and daily notes were informative about the time spent with people. There was a complaints procedure and the family member we talked with had confidence that any complaints would be dealt with quickly. Staff were trained to care for people at their end of their life if this was required.

Staff and relatives told us they thought the service was well led. They knew who the registered manager was, and had confidence in them. Staff were well supported and happy in their work.

A quality assurance system was in place and working effectively. The registered manager had learnt from previous experiences and audits and investigations had been used to make the necessary improvements. Confidential information was stored safely in line with current legislation.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.