Background to this inspection
Updated
8 July 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 undertaken 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.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. 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 72 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider/registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 25 May 2021 and ended on 15 June 2021. We visited the office location on 26 May 2021.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. 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.
During the inspection
We spoke with six people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, company director and received feedback from seven staff members. We checked three people’s care records and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures. We also looked at training data and quality assurance records.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.
Updated
8 July 2021
About the service
In Home Care (Hertford) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service supported older people, people living with dementia and people with a physical disability. 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. At the time of inspection, the service was supporting 17 people in total, with 10 in receipt of personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and their relatives felt the care provided was safe and risks were managed appropriately. This was because staff were well-trained, and systems were in place to report any concerns. Risks to people’s health, safety and well-being were assessed and measures taken to remove or reduce the risks. People were supported by a consistent staff team, who had been safely recruited.
People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff received appropriate training and had their competency assessed to help ensure they were sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable. Staff had received training in infection control practices and personal protective equipment was provided for them. Systems were in place for reporting and responding to accidents and incidents. Incidents were followed up and prompt action taken to ensure people were safe and to prevent reoccurrence.
The registered manager completed care assessments before commencing support, to ensure people’s needs could be met by In Home Care (Hertford). Care plans were sufficiently detailed and contained important information about people’s likes and dislikes. This ensured staff supported them in line with their needs and preferences. 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 relatives praised the kind and caring nature of the staff team. Staff had a good understanding of the people they supported. They took the time to get to know people’s individual likes and dislikes and spoke about people with kindness and compassion. People told us they would be confident to raise any concerns with the management team.
The provider was committed to providing a high standard of care to the people they supported. People, their relatives and staff members spoke highly of the registered manager and told us that they were always available and supportive. The registered manager had a good understanding of their responsibilities towards the people they supported and had a passion for delivering person-centred care. A governance system was established, which included various audits and the monitoring of safeguarding concerns, complaints, accidents and incidences.
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 on 31 October 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.
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.