Right at Home Alton and Bordon

Updated 18 February 2022

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

This 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 two managers registered with the Care Quality Commission. One being the registered manager at this location, and the other being director of care. 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

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 registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 26 October 2021 and ended on 5 January with formal feedback. The provider was then given extra time to provide evidence of recruitment policy and practise which met the requirements. This was received on 11 January. We visited the office location on 26 October 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered with CQC as well as any feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.

The provider did not complete the required Provider Information Return (PIR) when requested in June 2021. This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about the service, what it does well and improvements they plan to make. The registered manager sent us a draft copy of the PIR during the inspection. 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 utilised written feedback from two people who used the service and 11 relatives about their experience of the care provided from Homecare.co.uk. We also spoke with five members of staff including the nominated individual, registered manager, director of care, and care workers. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and some medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, training records, policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection –

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at recruitment data and quality assurance records. The registered manager updated us on how they would make the changes identified from our inspection. Following the factual accuracy process we also spoke with three people who use the service and five relatives, their comments have been included in the report.

Updated 18 February 2022

About the service

Right at Home Alton and Bordon is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people who live in their own home. At the time of inspection, they were providing care to 24 people, which included older people, people living with dementia and people with medical conditions affecting their mobility.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Although checks were carried out to help determine candidates' character, experience and conduct in previous employment, they did not always show the complete work history. Three staff files checked did not have complete work histories. One staff file was missing assurance from two previous care jobs. After the inspection the provider took action to audit all staff recruitment files to help ensure they contained all relevant recruitment documentation.

The provider’s recruitment policy did not promote safe recruitment in line with requirements. Following the inspection, the provider updated their recruitment policy to ensure it followed all guidance in line with regulation.

The provider had a safeguarding policy in place, which detailed actions to help keep people safe in the event of concern to their safety or wellbeing. People said they felt safe with the care provided. There were enough staff in place to safely deliver care to people. The office staff would cover calls as a backup. Staff received training and support in their role including shadowing experienced staff. People and relatives were positive about staff. People's needs were assessed prior to care commencing.

People said that staff were kind, caring and friendly. We found that staff knew people well and respected their preferences. People said that staff had time to listen to them. People said that staff promoted their dignity whilst helping with their personal care.

Staff we spoke to had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

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.

The registered manager had ensured that care plans were reviewed and involved people and their relatives. This included details around people’s medical needs, preferences and risks. The reviewed care plans were reflective of people’s needs. The service was providing good end of life care and involved people in the planning and choice of how this was delivered by staff.

The registered manager worked with people and staff to create a friendly, open and comfortable atmosphere in the service. Staff felt supported to deliver high quality care that led to good outcomes for people. Staff were clear about their roles, the risks related to people and how to report issues. Staff felt engaged and involved in the running of the service.

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 06/11/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as the service had not previously been inspected.

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.