Heriitage Care Ltd

Updated 7 May 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

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.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 72 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the service registered. 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 (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people and one relative during this inspection, we also spoke with two care staff and the registered manager. We looked at a selection of three people’s care plans and risk assessments. We also looked at a staff recruitment file, a right to work permit, medication records, policies and procedures, training and supervisions records and records that monitored the quality of the service provided.

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as telephone calls and video calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.

This inspection started on 23 March 2022 and ended on 14 April 2022.

Updated 7 May 2022

About the service

Heriitage Care Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to seven people at the time of this inspection.

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

Staff were kind and respectful towards the people they supported. People’s human rights were promoted and respected. There were enough knowledgeable and trained staff to meet people’s needs. This was because the registered manager was currently carrying out care call visits to support staff, while new staff were recruited.

Pre-assessments were undertaken on new people to the service, to help make sure there were enough suitably trained staff to support people in line with current guidance and legislation. Staff were trained and opportunities to develop their skills through further training were available. Trained staff had spot checks undertaken to check their competency.

Staff were encouraged to discuss and review their performance with their registered manager through supervision and regular conversations. Potential new staff to the service had a series of checks carried out on them to make sure they were suitable to work with the people they supported.

Staff understood how to keep people safe from harm or poor care. Staff knew to report any concerns they may have had to their registered manager or the CQC. When people wanted to discuss their end of life wishes this information would be recorded to guide staff.

Staff had access to information in peoples’ care plans and risk assessments that helped guide them to care and support people effectively. Staff had stocks of single use personal protective equipment (PPE), such as disposable aprons, gloves and face masks. Staff wore their PPE when supporting people to help reduce the risk of poor infection control. Systems were in place to learn lessons when an incident, accident or near miss occurred or there was a risk of this.

Staff encouraged people to drink and eat plenty. People were encouraged to make their own choices and these choices were respected. Staff helped promote and maintain people’s privacy and dignity. Staff also encouraged people to be as independent as possible. Staff also supported people to be involved in discussions around their support and care needs. People and their relative felt listened to, and their wishes valued by staff. Communication was good.

The registered manager would work with external health and social care professionals. This would help people to receive joined up care and support. There was a process in place to investigate and resolve complaints. The registered manager took actions as a result of learning to try to reduce the risk of recurrence.

People, and their relatives and staff were asked to feedback on the service. Information would be available in different formats when needed to help enable a person’s understanding. Audits were undertaken to monitor the quality of the service provided and drive forward any improvements 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.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 29 September 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was the first inspection of the service since it registered with the CQC.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.