Background to this inspection
Updated
20 November 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
This inspection was conducted by one 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 homes.
The service had two managers registered with the Care Quality Commission. This was because the Director had registered as a registered manager whilst recruiting for one. 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 needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 26 September 2019 and ended on 30 September 2019. We visited the office location on 26 September 2019.
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
We spoke with nine staff including the Director, registered manager, the scheduler and six CAREGivers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included seven care records and medicines records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including complaints, incident forms, policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
The Expert by Experience spoke with two people who used the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after our inspection. We contacted six professionals to hear their feedback about the service.
Updated
20 November 2019
About the service
HomeInstead Senior Care, Wandsworth, Lambeth & Dulwich is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were 80 people receiving personal care support.
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
Care workers were knows as CAREGivers within the organisation. We will refer to them as such throughout the report.
Feedback from people, relatives and healthcare professionals was positive. Terms such as “Excellent” and “Exceptional” were frequently used to describe both the attitude of CAREGivers and the delivery of care. People’s privacy and dignity were respected and care was delivered in a way that promoted people’s independence. The provider advocated for people’s rights and supported them to access community support systems.
The provider was involved in a number of community initiatives, working in partnership with other services to promote understanding and raising awareness about dementia. Feedback from people was extremely positive, many praising the management of the service. There was a high level of engagement with people using the service, their relatives and staff.
People and their relatives felt safe and secure in the presence of CAREGivers. The provider acted when any concerns were raised which helped to protect people from harm or abuse. Risks to people were identified during the initial assessments and then reviewed regularly. The provider had made improvements to its recruitment practice and the way in which people were supported to take their medicines.
People and their relatives said that CAREGivers were trained and competent to carry out their duties effectively. People were given appropriate support in relation to their diet and nutrition. Where required, CAREgivers liaised with other health professionals to ensure people’s health needs were met. Consent to care was in line with good practice. People and their relatives were fully involved in the delivery of care and were in control of agreeing to their care.
Complaints were dealt with quickly and to the satisfaction of people. Care plans were person centred and were reviewed regularly. End of life care training was due to be delivered to staff.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 23 May 2017).
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.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk