Mulberry Home Care Services Limited

Updated 30 March 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Service and service type:

Mulberry Home Care Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to older people, including people living with dementia, and younger adults.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

We gave the service 48 hours notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available to support the inspection. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Inspection site visit activity started and ended on 15 February 2019. We visited the office location on 15 February 2019 to see the registered manager and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did:

Before the inspection we reviewed the evidence we had about the service. This included any notifications of significant events, such as serious injuries or safeguarding referrals. Notifications are information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR) submitted by the provider on 12 December 2018. 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.

During the inspection we visited the agency’s office and spoke with the registered manager. We checked care records for three people, including their assessments, care plans and risk assessments. We looked at four staff files and records of staff training and supervision. We also checked records including satisfaction surveys, complaints, accident and incident records, quality monitoring checks and audits.

After the inspection, we spoke with four people who used the service and three relatives to hear their views about the care and support provided. We received feedback from eight staff about the training and support they received from the agency to carry out their roles.

Updated 30 March 2019

Mulberry Home Care Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency that was supporting 14 people at the time of the inspection, nine of whom were receiving personal care. Most of the people using the service were older people although some were younger adults who needed support due to healthcare conditions.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received safe, consistent and well-planned care. People’s care was provided by a small team of staff, each of whom understood their needs and preferences well. This meant that people always received their care from staff who were familiar to them, which they said was important to them.

People told us the care workers who visited them were kind, caring and compassionate. People had developed positive relationships with their care workers and enjoyed their company. Relatives said staff took the time to talk to their family members and expressed an interest in their lives.

Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity. People told us staff always respected their privacy when providing their care. The registered manager ensured there was a focus on supporting people to maintain their independence.

Care plans were personalised and reflected people’s individual needs and preferences. People told us they were involved in planning their care. They said they had developed their care plans in partnership with the registered manager. Care plans were reviewed regularly to take account of any changes in people’s needs.

The registered manager had a good oversight of the agency and spoke regularly with people who used the service and their relatives. This regular communication meant that any issues about people’s care were resolved before they became concerns. They agency had a complaints procedure which was given to people when they began to use the service.

Staff received all the training they needed to provide people’s care. This included a comprehensive induction when they joined the agency during which they got to know the people they would be caring for. The registered manager provided good support to staff through regular individual and team meetings. Staff spoke highly of the support they received from the registered manager to carry out their roles. They told us the registered manager was always available for advice and support when they needed it.

The agency employed enough staff to meet all scheduled care commitments. Checks were carried out on prospective staff to ensure they were of good character and suitable to work in health and social care. Staff received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report any concerns they had about people’s safety or well-being. Staff were confident that any concerns they raised would be managed appropriately by the registered manager.

People’s needs were assessed to ensure the agency could provide the care they needed. Risks to people and staff were assessed and managed well. Medicines were managed safely. Staff helped people keep their homes clean and maintained appropriate standards of infection control.

The registered manager and staff worked effectively with other professionals to ensure people received the care they needed. Staff had liaised with GPs, district nurses, pharmacists about people’s health and medicines.

The service met the characteristics of Good in all areas; more information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection:

This was the first inspection of the agency since its registration with CQC on 22 January 2018.

Why we inspected:

This was a scheduled inspection based on the date the service was first registered with CQC.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through notifications and communication with partner agencies such as local authorities and other commissioners. We will inspect the service again according to the rating achieved at this inspection unless we receive information of concern, in which case we may bring the next inspection forward.