Open Doors Healthcare Services Ltd

Updated 4 March 2023

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

The inspection team consisted of 1 inspector and an Expert 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 houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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

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

Inspection activity started on 17 January 2023 and ended on 20 January 2023. We visited the location’s office on 17 January 2023.

What we did before the inspection

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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people and 4 relatives by telephone about the service they were receiving. We spoke with 4 home care support workers by telephone. We visited the provider’s office on 17 January 2023 and spoke with the registered manager. We reviewed records that included 5 people’s care plans, risk assessments and medicine administration records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, quality assurance systems and staff recruitment and training records.

Updated 4 March 2023

About the service

Open Doors Healthcare Services Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support for people in their own homes. The service provides support to older people and younger adults with a range of needs including dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments and people who need end of life care. At the time of the inspection, there were 14 people using the service.

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

Some risks to people had not been assessed and some records were not well personalised. The provider’s quality assurance systems had not identified these shortfalls. We did not find that this had a negative impact on the care people received, but we have identified these as areas of practice that need to improve.

People were supported by staff who had suitable skills to meet their needs. People were protected from risks of abuse and told us they felt safe. People were receiving their medicines safely and staff followed safe procedures for the prevention and control of infection.

People and their relatives were receiving a person-centred service and they spoke highly of the care and support they received. One person said, “The carers are wonderful, very happy, and jolly and willing to do anything they can to make me feel more comfortable.”

Staff had received the training and support they needed to be effective in their roles. People’s diverse needs were assessed in a holistic way and staff worked with other services to ensure their health and welfare needs were met. Staff had enough time to spend with people, including those who needed support with eating and drinking.

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.

People and their relatives had developed positive relationships with staff who knew them well. One person said,“I have built up an excellent rapport with the carers.” Some people were receiving end of life care, staff were responsive to changes in their needs. Staff were described as kind, caring and compassionate. Relatives told us they were also supported by the staff.

The provider had systems in place to learn from mistakes and support continuous improvement. People knew how to complain and were confident that concerns would be acted upon.

Staff worked in partnership with other agencies and supported people to be involved and engaged with their care. Feedback we received about the registered manager and the service was consistently positive. A relative told us, “The service is really good. I can’t think of anything that needs improving.”

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 4 October 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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