Archived: Homecare For You Limited

Updated 12 October 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

In accordance with our guidance we told the provider we were undertaking this inspection. This announced inspection took place on the 4/5 August 2015 and was conducted by one inspector.

This service supports people who live in their own homes. We looked at the care records for four people who used the service. We also looked at a range of records relating to how the service was managed; these included training records, recruitment, quality assurance audits and policies and procedures. We spoke with three people who used the service in their homes with permission (with family members present), the registered provider, the person responsible for training, a staff member about policies and the registered manager.

Before this inspection we reviewed previous inspection reports and notifications that we had received from the service. We requested and received 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 any improvements they plan to make. As part of the process we looked at the responses of the Care Quality Commissions survey forms we sent out to people who used the service, family members, staff and professionals. We used this information to help plan the inspection.

We also asked Blackburn with Darwen Healthwatch and the local authority safeguarding and contracts departments for their views of the service. No major concerns were raised.

Updated 12 October 2015

Homecare For You Limited is a care agency situated near the centre of Blackburn. Homecare For You provides personal care for children and adults in their own homes. The service operates mainly during the day with management running an on call system for out of hours and emergencies.

We last inspected this service in May 2014 when the service met all the regulations we inspected. This unannounced inspection took place on the 04 and 05 August 2015.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

Staff were aware of and had been trained in safeguarding procedures to help protect the health and welfare of people who used the service. All the people who used the service said they felt safe.

Staff were recruited using current guidelines to help minimise the risk of abuse to people who used the service.

There was a modern office with all the necessary equipment to provide a functional service for people who used the service and for the staff. There was a dedicated training room with equipment such as a hoist and slings and information about many aspects of care for staff to follow good practice.

People who used the service helped develop their plans of care to ensure their wishes were taken into account. Plans of care were updated regularly.

Risk assessments were conducted to help keep people who used the service and staff safe.

The registered manager and senior members of staff updated policies and procedures and conducted audits to help ensure the service maintained standards.

Staff received the training they needed and regular supervision to check they were performing well. Staff were encouraged to come into the office to talk to management if they wished. New staff had to complete an induction before they worked with vulnerable people.

Although people who used the service lived in their own houses and choose what they ate staff were trained in nutrition and safe food handling to give advice to people about their meals.

The agency asked for people’s views around how the service was performing and we saw evidence that the registered manager responded to their views.

There was a suitable complaints procedure for people to voice their concerns. The people we spoke with said they did not have any concerns but knew how to contact the office if they did.

Staff received infection control training and were supplied with protective equipment when it was required.