Background to this inspection
Updated
18 March 2021
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
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.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced.
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 25 February 2021 and ended on 3 March 2021. We visited the office location on 25 and 26 February 2021.
What we did before the inspection
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with one person who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. During and after the inspection we spoke with the registered manager and two staff members.
We reviewed a range of records including three people’s care records and medication records and a selection of staff files in relation to recruitment and staff development. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.
Updated
18 March 2021
About the service
Brighter Home Care is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The service supported five 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
Since the services registration with CQC in July 2019, the registered manager had concentrated on building up the service and developing a stable staff team.
People and their relatives told us they were happy with the service they received and felt safe amongst the staff who supported them. They praised the caring nature of staff and felt staff were very polite and they respected their dignity and privacy.
A consistent staff team ensured people received care from staff who were familiar with their needs. Staff encouraged people to retain their independence and make decisions about their care.
Staff were trained and supported to carry out their role and were knowledgeable about good care practices and their responsibilities to protect people from harm and abuse.
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. However, we have made a recommendation about the processes used to gain people’s lawful consent when they may not have the mental capacity to consent to their care package or specific decisions.
People’s care plans provided staff with the information they needed to support people and the management of people’s individual risks.
The registered manager and staff were passionate about delivering good quality care to people and ensuring people were safe and their needs were met.
The registered manager has a good understanding of the management of people’s needs and development of staff and was open to making improvements to the service. However, further development of their quality assurance systems was needed to ensure that people received safe care from staff who had been suitably recruited and supported.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us in July 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This service had not been inspected since their registration in July 2019, therefore, this inspection was carried out to gain assurances about the quality of care and systems used to monitor and manage the service.
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.