Walker&Harrison Care

Updated 23 July 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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

Two inspectors and an Expert by Experience carried out this inspection. 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 houses and flats.

Registered Manager.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 4 July 2022 and ended on 13 July 2022. We visited the location’s office on 4 and 11 July 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, Continuing Healthcare and an NHS Infection Prevention and Control team who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person who used the service and six relatives. We spoke with 10 staff including the registered manager, operations manager, two senior care field supervisors and six care workers.

We reviewed five care records and four medicine administration records. We reviewed six staff records relating to recruitment, supervision and appraisal. We reviewed the training matrix for all staff. We also reviewed records related to the day to day running of the service.

Updated 23 July 2022

About the service

Walker and Harrison Care is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to adults living with a learning disability, physical disability, mental health condition and dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 21 people using the service. 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

People were extremely positive about their care. One relative said, “These staff are brilliant. I hear [person] clearly enjoying their company. Their whole approach is one of seeing [person] for who they are.” People said they felt safe during their care calls. Recruitment processes needed to be further improved and we made a recommendation about this.

People were supported with their healthcare needs by staff who knew them well. People were encouraged to make their own decisions and staff understood the procedures for supporting people who lacked capacity. Staff needed more consistent support to carry out their roles; we made a recommendation about this.

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.

Staff were kind, caring and compassionate. Staff went the extra mile for people which led to positive outcomes in their care. One relative said, “All that I see is good, safe care. They [staff] stay longer than the planned time. They won’t leave a situation where [person] would feel a loss of dignity or control.”

People received care which met their individual needs, wishes and preferences. They were encouraged to make their own decisions. Some people were supported with social contact. Staff ensured people had access to information in an appropriate format and talked through information when needed. The service went above and beyond to deliver end of life care.

The management team were visible and responded to concerns quickly. Leaders were transparent. The values of the service reflected in the quality of care provided. Further improvements were needed to oversee governance arrangements. There were gaps in all audits reviewed. They needed to be widened in scope and further embedded to support continual improvement of the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support: People received care and support which met their individual needs. People were encouraged to have a voice and make decisions about their care. People were supported to maintain relationships with those important to them.

Right care: People were at the centre of their care and received person-centred care which respected their privacy and dignity and allowed them maximum control over their lives.

Right culture: A diverse workforce was in place who demonstrated the ethos, values and behaviours to support the delivery of good care to people. The provider’s diversity strategy was embedded and was used to contribute to the continual development 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 and update

This service was registered with us on 10 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date the service was registered.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.