Home Instead Senior Care

Updated 19 July 2019

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 an Expert by Experience who made telephone calls to people who used the service. 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 a short period of notice of the inspection site visit because this is a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure arrangements could be made to meet with key staff and people who use the service.

Inspection site visit activity was carried out on 20 and 21 June 2019. We visited the office location to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. A deputy care manager supported us to visit people in their own homes.

What we did before the inspection

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 also looked at other information we have received since the last inspection. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

During the inspection we met with five people who used the service. The Expert by Experience spoke with 10 people on the telephone. We also spoke with seven members of staff. The registered manager and nominated individual were present throughout the inspection.

We looked at a selection of records which included;

Three care and support plans

Three staff files

Records of staff meetings

Quality monitoring audits

Records of complaints and compliments

Updated 19 July 2019

About the service

Home Instead Senior Care is a domiciliary care service covering Taunton and the surrounding areas. It is part of the Home Instead Senior Care franchise. Staff who provide direct care to people are called care givers and are referred to as such throughout this report.

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 the inspection the agency was supporting between 60 and 70 people. This figure can change daily as people’s needs change and new clients are accepted.

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

Without exception people praised the quality of service they received and told us they would definitely recommend it to other people who required this type of support.

The provider was committed to providing people with a safe service and worked in partnership with other organisations to help people to take positive risks and maintain control of their personal safety.

People were supported by small teams of care givers who they were able to build trusting relationships with. People told us they received consistent support from well trained care givers who knew them well. Many people referred to their care givers as more like friends or family.

The provider used imaginative approaches to make sure staff training was meaningful and led to positive changes in the care people received. The provider worked with other professionals and organisations to share training and promote positive outcomes for people.

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 made sure people’s legal rights were respected.

People received their support from a service where care and compassion were embedded into everything they did. This led to people receiving an extremely caring service. Many people told us staff often went over and above their job roles which demonstrated their kindness and consideration for the people they supported.

People’s care was personalised to their wishes and preferences and took account of their individuality. The provider matched care givers to people to help them to build connections and share interests and hobbies. People were comfortable and relaxed with the care givers who visited them.

The provider and staff worked to reduce loneliness for people and ensured people had access to a range of social opportunities. People told us how social events and being able to follow their interests had enhanced their well-being.

People received a service from an agency which was exceptionally well led and continually looked for ways to expand and improve the care they provided. People were involved and consulted about their care and the service. Complaints and incidents were seen as opportunities to learn and improve. Changes were made to practice where it was felt this would benefit people.

Staff felt well supported and were highly motivated which gave them a commitment to providing high quality care. People praised the staff and told us they had helped them to remain independent in their own homes.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection. Good (Report published 22 October 2016)

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Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.