North London Homecare & Support Limited

Updated 10 April 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

•The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type:

•North London Homecare and Support Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

•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:

•Our inspection was announced.

•The provider was given 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

•Our inspection process commenced on 5 March 2019 and concluded on 8 March 2019. It included visiting the service's office, telephoning people who used the service and their relatives. We visited the office location on 5 March 2019 to see the registered manager and care staff, and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did:

•Our inspection was informed by evidence we already held about the service including any statutory notifications. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. The provider had completed a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

•We spoke with five people who used the service and two relatives.

•We spoke with the registered manager, one care coordinator, a team leader and three care staff.

•We received feedback from healthcare and community professionals, social workers and the local authority commissioning team.

•We reviewed six people’s care records, five staff files that included recruitment, training and supervision records, staff rotas and other records related to the management of the regulated activity.

Updated 10 April 2019

About the service:

•North London Homecare and Support Limited is a domiciliary care agency.

•It provides a personal care support service to people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder, a mental health condition, a physical disability, sensory impairment, dementia, older people and younger adults living in their own homes and in supported living services.

•Not everyone using North London Homecare and Support Limited receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

•At the time of the inspection, it was providing personal care support to 39 people.

People’s experience of using this service:

•People and relatives told us the registered manager and office and care staff were exceptionally caring and this was evident in the whole ethos of the organisation.

•People received high-quality and person-centred care where staff knew people extremely well.

•People were encouraged to live their lives as independently as possible.

•People were encouraged to voice their wishes and aspirations and supported to live their dreams.

•Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were encouraged to use the service, and received personalised care that met their individualised needs.

•People were supported to identify and access activities that were meaningful and improved their wellbeing.

•The registered manager demonstrated exceptional leadership which positively impacted people’s and staff’s lives and the whole organisation.

•The registered manager had created excellent community links that benefitted people. They had a strong focus on reducing isolation and loneliness in the community.

•Staff were well supported, and their views and opinions listened to and used to improve the care delivery.

•Staff developed highly positive and trusting relationships with people and their relatives.

•Staff were provided with equal and inclusive developmental opportunities to progress their careers with the provider.

• The service was safe. People and relatives told us staff provided safe care. The provider ensured people's safety by involving outside organisations in promoting safety.

•People were supported by sufficient staff who were suitably recruited, and knew the risks associated with people’s needs and how to manage them safely.

•People were protected from the risk of abuse, harm, poor care and neglect.

•People’s needs were assessed before they started to receive support, and received consistent, timely and effective care.

•People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

•People were encouraged to live healthy lives with effective support from staff.

•People’s end of life care needs was met sensitively.

•People and relatives were satisfied with how complaints were addressed.

•The service met the characteristics of outstanding in caring and well-led.

Rating at last inspection:

•Good (report published 14 June 2016)

Why we inspected:

•This was a planned inspection to check that this service remained Good.

Follow up:

•We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk