We carried out a review of the data available to us about Extra Care Home Services Ltd on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Extra Care Home Services Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
Extra Care Home Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 20 people aged 65 and over who live in the North Walsham area. The service provides support with other needs; however with domiciliary care services the CQC only regulates personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where personal care is provided we also consider any wider social care provision.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The registered manager demonstrated exceptional leadership and instilled a very caring and inclusive culture of care delivery. People, relatives and staff commended the service and registered manager very highly. A person using the service told us, “I'd recommend it to anybody. The staff come on time, they are very helpful, kind and friendly.” A relative told us, “The service is amazing.” There were effective quality management processes in place and service development and continuous improvement was embraced. Engagement with stakeholders and across the community was excellent.
Every aspect of the service was person-centred and staff were passionate about promoting people’s wellbeing by taking a truly holistic approach to their care. End of Life care and support was exceptional. Staff responded extremely well to changes in people’s needs and the service actively helped people avoid social isolation. People and relatives had confidence that any issues would be quickly resolved.
People received care from extremely kind and thoughtful staff, with whom they had built particularly close and trusting relationships. Staff consistently demonstrated concern, consideration and compassion to people and their relatives. Without exception, people’s voices were listened to and acted upon. People were empowered to live their lives as independently as possible and always treated respectfully by staff.
Staff took an innovative and proactive approach to keep people safe. They promoted positive risk-taking when it was safe and appropriate to do so. The service was very committed to people’s safety and managed this through careful risk management practices, robust infection control measures, and a high degree of attention to any events, incidents, or near misses which may require changes to care delivery. Medicines management was of a good standard and regularly checked. Staffing was very carefully managed and people received a seamless service of care.
People’s needs were assessed thoroughly and their care plans were developed collaboratively, ensuring they were individualised and in accordance with people’s wishes. Staff training was tailored to individual needs and ensured people received high standards of care. This included nutritional and hydration support and input from health care professionals when needed. 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.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (report published 07 February 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.
The inspection took place on 6 and 7 December 2016. We contacted the service before we visited to announce the inspection. This was because the service provides a domiciliary care service to people in their own homes. We wanted to ensure that we could access the service’s office and speak with the manager and staff.
Extra Care Home Services Ltd provided personal care to around 14 people who live in their own homes in the North Walsham area. The service provides support with other needs; however with domiciliary care services the CQC only regulates personal care.
There was a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.
People were supported by staff who were safely recruited. Staff were knowledgeable in their roles and demonstrated the skills required. Staff were motivated to provide good care and understood the importance of responding to concerns about people’s health. There was a training system in place and staff training was up-to-date. Staff had a thorough induction to the service and their role.
Staff demonstrated they understood how to protect people from the risk of abuse. Staff were conscious of this issue and knew what to do if they had concerns. People and staff were protected from the potential risk of harm as the service had identified and assessed the risks people faced. People had assessments which were person centred.
People benefited from staff who felt valued by the service. Staff worked closely with the manager and found them approachable and supportive. Staff had confidence in the service they were providing. People said they saw the same care staff at regular times, and did not have missed care visits.
Staff demonstrated that they understood the importance of promoting and protecting people’s dignity, privacy and independence. They gave many examples of a caring and empathetic approach to the people they supported. People told us they were treated in a respectful and caring way. People formed positive relationships with the staff who supported them.
Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and demonstrated they understood the importance of gaining people’s consent before assisting them.
Staff assisted people, where necessary, to access healthcare services. Staff had a good understanding of people’s healthcare needs. Staff demonstrated they had the knowledge to manage emergency situations, should they arise.
The manager and staff supported people in a proactive way to avoid social isolation. People felt comfortable about contacting the manager and raising any issues they may have had. There was a complaints process in place for people to follow if they wanted to make a complaint. The manager sought the views of people, their relatives, and the staff who supported them in order to improve the service.
The manager demonstrated a real commitment to the service and to the people it supported. Staff had confidence in the manager. The manager was actively involved with every element of the service. The manager knew staff and the people receiving the service well.
People's care records showed that they were fully involved in making decisions about what care and support they needed. We noted that consent was sought before any assistance was given by the care staff.
Care records were detailed, up to date and person-centred. Appropriate risk assessments had been completed and were reviewed on a monthly basis. Care staff recorded a 'daily log' in people's care records. We noted that this was detailed and included all of the person's activities of daily living needs. The care and support that had been given reflected what was documented and planned in the person's care plan.
People who used the service told us that they felt safe and did not have any concerns. The provider had appropriate arrangements to reduce the risk of abuse to people and staff understood their responsibilities to report any suspicion or allegation of abuse.
Staff received appropriate training to carry out their roles; this included 'in-house' training delivered by the provider.
The service had various methods to ensure the quality of the service was monitored and audited. This included regular satisfaction surveys that were completed by people who used the service and their family members.