Archived: MiHomecare - Ely

Updated 3 December 2015

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.

This inspection took place on 29 October and 2 November 2015 and was announced. This is because we needed to be sure that the registered manager and staff would be available. The inspection was completed by one inspector and an expert 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.

Before the inspection, we looked at information we hold about the service. This included the number and type of notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

We also received information from the local authority who commission and contract care from the service.

During the inspection we visited and spoke with three people in their homes and spoke with 10 people by telephone. We also spoke with two relatives, the service’s registered manager, the provider’s operations’ director, the quality and performance manager, three senior care supervisors and care coordinator staff and four care staff.

We also observed people’s care to assist us in understanding the quality of care people received.

We looked at seven people’s care records, records of staff communications and staff meeting minutes. We looked at medicine administration records and records in relation to the management of the service such as checks regarding people’s health and safety. We also looked at staff recruitment, supervision and appraisal process records, training records, compliments and quality assurance and audit records.

Updated 3 December 2015

MiHomecare - Ely is a domiciliary care service that is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own home. At the time of our inspection there were approximately 180 people using the service.

This announced inspection took place on the 29 October and 2 November 2015.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

A robust recruitment process was in place. This helped ensure that only those staff deemed suitable to work with people using the service were offered employment. A sufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced staff were employed to help ensure people’s needs were safely met.

Staff were trained in, and adhered to safe, medicine’s administration practice. Staff had their competency to do this assessed regularly. Regular audits and checks ensured that the provider’s medicines administration policy was adhered to.

Staff had been trained and were knowledgeable about protecting people from harm. Staff were confident in describing who they could report any concerns to including the registered manager, the local safe guarding authority or the Care Quality Commission.

The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. The registered manager and staff were knowledgeable about when an assessment of people’s mental capacity was required. They were also aware when they needed to liaise with the local authority should a need arise to lawfully deprive any person of their liberty.

People were supported with their personal care needs and staff respected people’s independence, privacy and dignity. Risk assessments were in place for people at risk of falls, self medicating and being out in the community. Checks were completed to help ensure that people’s homes were a safe place for staff to work in.

People’s assessed care needs were determined with their, families and health care professional’s input. This was to help ensure that people were involved in their care planning.

People were supported to access a range of health care professionals including speech and language and occupational therapist, GPs and community nurses.

People were encouraged to eat and drink sufficient quantities. People were able to choose what, where and when they ate.

An effective programme of planned supervision and appraisals was in place and staff received regular support with their roles. Staff were supported to access and attain additional health care related qualifications to assist with developing their skills and increase their knowledge.

People were provided with information, guidance and support on how to raise a complaint. The provider took appropriate action to ensure any complaints were addressed to the complainant’s satisfaction. Actions from concerns and compliments were used as a way to help drive improvement and prevent future recurrences.

The registered manager and senior care staff had effective audit and quality assurance processes and procedures in place. Any actions required to improve the overall standard and quality of care were raised at staff meetings and formal supervision.