Archived: Redspot Homecare Milton Keynes

Updated 19 October 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.’

The inspection of Redspot Homecare Milton Keynes took place on 22 September 2016. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because we needed to ensure the registered manager would be available.

Before the inspection we looked at information we held about the service including statutory notifications. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also contacted the Clinical Commissioning Group who has a quality monitoring role with the service.

During our inspection we undertook telephone calls to five people who used the service and five relatives. We spoke with six staff members and these included the registered manager, a field supervisor, the administration manager and three care workers.

We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the service was managed. These included care records for six people, five staff files and three Medication Administration Record (MAR) sheets. We also looked at minutes from staff meetings and quality assurance audits to determine the level of service that was provided.

Updated 19 October 2016

This inspection took place on 22 September 2016 was announced.

This was the second comprehensive inspection carried out at Redspot Homecare Milton Keynes. .

Redspot Homecare Milton Keynes a domiciliary care agency providing personal care, support and companionship to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to 64 people. The frequency of visits ranged from one visit per week to four visits per day depending on people’s individual needs.

The service had 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Care plans did not contain person-centred information. They failed to demonstrate the specific needs, preferences and wishes of each individual person and did not provide staff with guidance about how to fully meet people's needs.

People felt safe when staff were in their homes. Staff had been provided with safeguarding training to enable them to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and how to report them. There were risk management plans in place to protect and promote people’s safety. Staffing numbers were appropriate to keep people safe. There were safe recruitment practices in place and these were being followed to ensure staff employed were suitable for their role. People’s medicines were managed safely and in line with best practice guidelines.

Staff received regular training that provided them with the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs. They were well supported by the registered manager and had regular one to one supervision and annual appraisals.

Staff sought people’s consent before providing any care and support. They understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 legislation. Where the service was responsible people were supported by staff to access food and drink of their choice to promote healthy eating. If required, staff supported people to access healthcare services.

People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff; and had established positive and caring relationships with them. People were able to express their views and make choices. Staff ensured people’s privacy and dignity was promoted.

People’s needs were assessed prior to them receiving a service. The service had a complaints procedure to enable people to raise a complaint if the need arose.

There was a culture of openness and transparency at the service. Staff were positive about the management and leadership of the service. The service had quality assurance systems in place, which were used to good effect and to continuously improve on the quality of the care provided.