My Homecare Bristol

Updated 28 April 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.

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 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 short notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure the office-based manager would be available for us to speak with.

Inspection activity started on 9 March 2022 and ended on 14 March 2022.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service. This information included the statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events, which the service is required to send us by law.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). 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 used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spent time with the provider and manager. We looked at four people’s care records, together with other records relating to care and the running of the service, including recruitment files, supervision records and training.

After the inspection

The second day of our inspection consisted of a video call meeting with the provider and manager. This was to discuss what we found during our visit and to collect further evidence through questions and discussion. We requested a range of records, including policies and procedures, risk assessments and, quality monitoring documents. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

We telephoned four people who used the service and two of them spoke with us. There were written records kept of all feedback from clients. Five staff emailed us with their experiences of working for My Homecare. We read correspondence of thanks received from relatives. This evidence has been referred to throughout the report.

Updated 28 April 2022

About the service

My Homecare is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, eight people were receiving personal care.

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

The feedback we received from people was good. Staff we spoke with enjoyed working for the service and supporting people in the community. People and staff were happy to contribute to the inspection and share their views and experiences.

The manager and staff understood their roles and responsibilities to help keep people safe from harm. People were supported to take risks and promote their independence. Risks were assessed and plans put in place to help support people safely. There were enough staff to safely provide care to people. Checks were carried out on staff before they started work to assess their suitability to support vulnerable people.

The service was effective in meeting people’s needs. Staff received supervision and support. The annual training programme was set up and will further equip staff with essential skills and knowledge. Arrangements were made for people to see a GP and other healthcare professionals when they needed to do so. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of the support they required.

The service was caring, and people were treated with kindness and respect. Staff were caring and spoke about people positively. They took an interest in the people they supported, including their life histories, the things they liked and didn't like and the people who were important to them. Independence was always encouraged and supported.

People received person-centred care and support. Regular monitoring meant that referrals had been made to appropriate health and social care professionals. Where necessary care and support had been changed to accurately reflect people's needs and improve their health and wellbeing. People were encouraged to make their views known and the service responded by making changes.

The service was well led. People received a good standard of care because the management team led by example and had expectations about the standards of care people should receive. Staff were enthusiastic and happy in their work. They felt supported within their roles. Staff described working together as a team, they provided person-centred care and helped people to achieve their potential. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and the care people received.

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 26 June 2020, and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to check whether the provider was meeting legal requirements and regulations, and to provide a rating for the service as directed by the Care Act 2014.

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.