Background to this inspection
Updated
16 April 2020
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 houses and flats] and [specialist housing].
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
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we wanted to make sure arrangements were in place for us to speak with people prior to the inspection and ensure care staff were available during the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
Prior to the inspection we spoke with two people and one relative who used the service. In the week following the inspection we spoke with five people and four relatives. During our time spent in the office, we spoke with 11 staff including the registered manager, the deputy manager, team leaders, care co-ordinators and care staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included nine people’s care records and medication records. We looked at a variety of records relating the the management of the service, including minutes of meetings, quality audits, complaints and compliments and policies and procedures.
Updated
16 April 2020
About the service
South Birmingham Home Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes in the community. It provides a service to older and younger adults and some people received an ‘enablement’ package of support of up to six weeks. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 170 people.
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
Following the last inspection, a number of improvements had been made in response to the concerns raised. We saw a variety of systems and processes in place to audit the quality and safety of the service and where these identified the need for improvements, they were quickly acted on. The views of people and staff were sought regarding the effectiveness of the service and people and staff felt listened to.
People, relatives and staff spoke positively of the service and considered it to be well led. Staff felt supported and listened to and were proud to work for the provider. People’s views of the service were regularly sought and where amendments to care packages were required, action was taken. There were a number of audits in place to provide the registered manager with oversight of the service.
People felt safe when supported by staff. Staff had received training in how to recognise abuse and were aware of their responsibilities to report and act on any concerns. Staff were aware of the risks to people and how to support them safely. Systems were in place to review the risks to people and keep staff up to date regarding any changes in people’s care needs.
People were supported by a consistent group of staff who knew them well and usually turned up on time. For those who required support with their medication, this was provided by trained staff. Staff had received training in protecting people by the prevention and control of infection and had access to personal protective equipment. Systems were in place to ensure lessons were learnt and improvements were made where things went wrong.
Staff felt well trained and supported in their role. They were provided with training and support to enable them to meet the needs of the people they care for. People were involved in the planning and review of their care. Where appropriate, staff supported people to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. Staff were aware of people’s particular healthcare needs and helped them seek medical assistance where required.
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 were complimentary of the staff who supported them and spoke warmly of the care received and acts of kindness displayed by staff. Staff had developed positive relationships with the people they supported and where possible, encouraged them to be as independent as possible. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and supported them to express their views and be actively involved in decisions about their care and support.
People were happy with the service they received and considered staff to know them well. People had no complaints about the service, but where concerns had been raised, they had been dealt with appropriately.
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)
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 7 March 2019).
The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
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.