We carried out a review of the data available to us about New Horizons Homecare Services Limited 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 New Horizons Homecare Services Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
New Horizons Homecare Service Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 45 people at the time of the inspection. 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
Consent to care was sought and recorded however it was not always clear whether they had capacity to consent and others had the legal authority to make decisions on their behalf.
We have made a recommendation about recording people's consent and relatives legal authority to act on someone's behalf.
People’s needs and choices were assessed and met. Staff training was comprehensive and thorough. New staff received an induction and shadowed experienced staff members. Staff were supported through appraisals and supervisions and were encouraged to develop. People were supported to eat and drink where this was required and encouraged to eat where they were nutritionally at risk. Procedures were in place to ensure information to support people was shared and discussed appropriately with health professionals, where necessary. 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.
People and their relatives were positive about the service and the care and support they received. Risks associated with care and the environment were recorded and monitored. People’s needs were assessed and used to determine staff numbers, rotas were produced in advance and people received consistent support. Staff were recruited using established practices. Procedures were in place to administer medicines safely. The use of personal protective equipment was described in care plans and was available to staff. Systems were in place to learn from incidents and actions to improve took place and were recorded.
Compliments and surveys showed people were happy with the service they received. Care plans recorded people had been involved in their care planning and in regular reviews. Daily log books showed how people’s privacy and dignity were respected.
Care plans contained information for staff to support people according to their needs. Concerns and complaints were logged, monitored and responded to by involving the person and checking they were satisfied with outcomes. Actions were taken to improve where necessary. People were asked about their end of life wishes.
Managers were clear about their vision for the service, there was an open-door culture and discussions with people, relatives and staff were encouraged. A governance framework was in place which involved regular checks and audits. Managers understood their regulatory responsibility; a discussion was held about safeguarding notifications. Annual surveys took place for people, relatives and staff; feedback from these was analysed and actions taken to improve the service. Plans were in place to produce a survey to gather feedback from professionals. Managers took opportunity to learn and improve. Managers worked in partnership with other organisations to develop and improve 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 requires improvement (published 3 October 2018).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.
New Horizons is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older people and people living with dementia.
At the time of our inspection there were 40 people being supported that were receiving personal care. The location provided the regulated activity in Sheffield.
The service did not have a registered manager. 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.
At this inspection we found the service was rated overall as Requires Improvement.
We found risks had been identified and staff had knowledge of how to manage risks. However, we identified some risk assessments lacked detail to ensure staff had the up to date information to manage risks safely. Medicines were given as prescribed, but documentation could be improved.
People’s needs and choices were assessed and mental capacity assessments were undertaken. However, we found that best interests were not always clearly documented to show decisions where people lacked capacity were made in their best interests.
Quality monitoring systems were in place, although the registered provider had identified improvements were required in the governance and management structure to ensure they were fully implemented and embedded into practice.. They had made recent management changes to support staff which ensured the identified improvements were implemented and embedded into practice.
Everyone we spoke with, without exception, said they were very happy with the service they received. They told us no matter what staff member supported them, they were all able to meet their needs.
Staff told us they really enjoyed working for the agency and received support from the management team.
The recruitment processes were robust to ensure safe recruitment of staff to work with vulnerable people.
We saw people and their relatives had been consulted about the quality of the service. The provider had learnt lessons in that they were improving the management structure to provide better support and introducing new paperwork to ensure effective management, review and oversight.
There was a procedure in place to ensure any safeguarding concerns were addressed and reported. Staff had good knowledge of how to spot the signs of abuse and what action to take. People we spoke with and their relatives told us the service provided ensured safety.
People told us the staff were very caring, kind and compassionate. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and ensured their choices and decisions were sought.
The service supported some people to prepare and make meals. We found people were supported to received adequate nutrition and hydration.
People who required the involvement of health care professionals were assisted to obtain this support, when it was required.