Care Plus Homecare Services Ltd

Updated 17 January 2019

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 was 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.

The registered provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be at the office to assist with the inspection.

The inspection site visit started on 22 November 2018 and ended on 29 November 2018. It included visiting people with their permission at home and speaking with people who used the service and their relatives via the telephone. We also visited the office location on both dates to see the owner, registered manager, office staff and support workers.

We looked at a range of records including three care files belonging to people who used the service. This process is called pathway tracking and enables us to judge how well the service understand and plan to meet people's care needs and manage any risks to people's health and well-being. We also reviewed three staff recruitment files, staff training records, complaint and safeguarding information, rotas and visit schedules, policies and procedures and audit documentation.

The inspection team was made up of one adult social care 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 service, in this case of people requiring domiciliary care.

Prior to our inspection, we requested the provider to complete 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 improvements they plan to make.

We reviewed all the information which the Care Quality Commission already held on Care Plus Homecare Services Limited such as intelligence, statutory notifications and / or any information from third parties. We also contacted the local authority to obtain their view on the quality of care delivered by the service. We took any information provided to us into account.

During the inspection we spoke with the managing director, registered manager, an office supervisor and six support workers. We contacted 10 people who used the service and nine relatives by telephone. We also undertook home visits by invitation to speak with three more people who used the service to seek their feedback on the service.

Updated 17 January 2019

This inspection was announced and took place on the 22 and 29 November 2018.

Care Plus Homecare Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses in the community. For example, older people and people living with dementia, a physical disability, learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder or have a mental health condition.

At the time of our inspection, the service was providing ‘personal care’ to 27 people who were living in their own homes within the Handforth, Wilmslow and Alderley Edge area of Cheshire.

The service is provided by Care Plus Homecare Services Ltd and is coordinated from a business office in the centre of Handforth.

The agency was previously inspected in November 2017. During the inspection we found a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2006 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. We found that the registered provider had failed to ensure that effective systems were in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality of service. At this inspection, we found that the registered provider had taken action to address the breach and developed a suite of quality assurance checks and records.

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.

We found that people’s needs had been assessed and planned for. However, we have recommended that care plans and associated records are updated to include more information on people’s specific needs and the level of support required by staff. This will ensure staff have access to more detailed information to help them understand people’s needs when delivering care and support to people.

People were treated with dignity and respect and received care and support that was generally responsive towards their individual needs. People were supported with their medication when necessary and encouraged to maintain good nutritional intake and hydration to safeguard their health and wellbeing.

Sufficient numbers of staff were deployed to provide people’s care and support. Robust recruitment procedures had also been established to ensure the suitability of prospective staff was checked prior to employment. For instance, previous employment references, proof of identity and a criminal conviction check had been obtained.

A programme of staff training and development had been established and tracking systems were in place to monitor progress. Training had been booked to provide staff with any necessary refresher or outstanding training including new courses.

The registered provider had policies and procedures in place relating to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The registered manager and staff spoken with understood the action that should be taken in the event a person lacked capacity and their duty of care in respect of this protective legislation.

People had been provided with information on the service and a copy of the agency’s complaints procedure. People told us that they knew how to complain if they needed to report a concern or make a complaint.

Quality monitoring systems had been established and were subject to ongoing review and revision to improve oversight of the service. This included obtaining feedback from people using the service or their representatives.