Calderdale Home Care - Newcastle

Updated 4 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and two Experts 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 who was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission. This means the provider is 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 24 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 available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 17 November 2021 and ended on 10 December 2021. We visited the office location on 10 December 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we held about the service including information submitted to CQC by the provider about serious injuries or events. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We sought feedback from the local authority contracts monitoring and safeguarding adults teams and reviewed the information they provided. We contacted the local Healthwatch for their feedback. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and 14 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We received feedback from eight members of care staff including care staff. We spoke with the manager, regional manager and nominated individual. 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 five people's complete care records and medication records for 10 people. 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 policies and procedures were also reviewed.

Updated 4 February 2022

About the service

Calderdale Home Care - Newcastle is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. 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 38 people were receiving personal care.

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

People and relatives we spoke with gave positive feedback about the service and the staff team. Their comments included, “I think the carers are kind and gentle. I am very comfortable with the carers. They are friendly people. They put a smile on your face.”

People were supported by a consistent staff team who had the relevant training and qualifications to safely support people. Staffing levels were safe and were reviewed regularly by the management team.

Risks people may face were fully identified and mitigated. Medicines were safely managed, and the service worked in partnership with other health care professionals to make sure people received a continuous level of support. People had person-centred care plans which were created from holistic assessments of people's needs.

Staff had a positive relationship with the manager and felt able to provide feedback regularly about the service. The quality and assurance systems in place allowed for effective monitoring of the service by the manager and provider.

Staff had access to PPE and followed best practice guidance and the provider’s policy in relation to infection prevention and control. Staff had received additional training and support during the pandemic to make sure they were confident and capable to deliver care.

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.

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 18 March2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to formally rate 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.