Numada Homecare Ltd

Updated 21 March 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This is the first inspection of the service as it was a new service and only registered in May 2015. This inspection was announced; we gave the provider 48 hours' notice of our inspection as it was a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure key staff members would be available.

This inspection was conducted over two days. Day one was carried out on the 5 February 2018 by one inspector and an expert by experience who had experience of caring for older people. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service. Two inspectors completed the inspection on the 8 February 2018.

Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed previous inspection reports and notifications we had been sent by the provider. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we spoke with nineteen people who used the service, or their relatives, by telephone and visited four people in their own homes. We spoke with the provider's representative, the registered manager, the deputy manager, four care staff members and a social care professional. We looked at care records for eight people. We also reviewed records about how the service was managed, including staff training and recruitment records, complaints procedure, compliments, and audits completed by the management team.

Updated 21 March 2018

Numada Homecare Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults, people living with dementia, mental health impairments, physical disabilities, sensory impairment and younger adults. The domiciliary care agency office is situated within the centre of Gosport.

This inspection was undertaken on 5 and 8 February 2018. At the time of the inspection 66 people were receiving a domiciliary care service from Numada Homecare Ltd.

A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We received positive feedback from people about the service. People who used the service expressed satisfaction and spoke highly of the staff and management team. All the people and family members who were asked if they would recommend the service to others said they would.

People and their families told us they felt safe. Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and knew how to prevent, identify and report abuse. Risks relating to the health and support needs of the people and the environment in which they lived were assessed and managed effectively. There were safe medication administration systems in place and people received their medicines when required.

Safe recruitment practices were followed and appropriate checks were undertaken, which helped make sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in their own homes. There were sufficient numbers of care staff to maintain the schedule of visits.

There was an infection control policy in place and protective equipment such as gloves and aprons were provided to staff to minimise the spread of infection. People confirmed that safe management of infection control risks were adhered to.

Staff completed an induction programme and were appropriately supported in their work by the registered manager and the provider. Staff had received relevant training and arrangements were in place to refresh this regularly.

People who used the service felt they were treated with kindness and said their privacy and dignity was respected. Staff knew the people they provided care to well and understood their physical and social needs. Staff were able to describe how to meet people’s needs effectively. Staff supported people to access healthcare professionals when needed.

Staff, and the registered manager, knew how legislation designed to protect people's rights affected their work. They always asked for consent from people before providing care.

People and, when appropriate, their families were involved in discussions about their care planning and given the opportunity to provide feedback on the service. They were also supported to raise complaints should they wish to.

At the time of the inspection no one using the service was receiving end of life care. However the registered manager assured us that people would be supported to receive a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death.

People and their families told us they felt the service was well-led and were positive about the registered manager who understood the responsibilities of their role. Staff were aware of the provider’s vision and values and how they related to their work.