Kerrier Homecare Limited

Updated 16 June 2018

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.

This inspection took place on the 01 and 08 May 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 office hours’ notice because the location provides a personal care service to people who lived in the community. We needed to be sure that we could access the office premises.

The inspection was undertaken by one adult social care inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service. During the visit we spoke with six staff members and visited two people in their own homes. Following the visit we contacted eight people who either used the service or was a relative to gain their views of the service they received.

We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and the way the service was managed. These included the care records for three people, medicine administration records, staff training records, three staff recruitment files, staff supervision and appraisal records, minutes from meetings, quality assurance audits, incident and accident reports, complaints and compliments records and records relating to the management of the service. We also looked at the results from the most recent customer satisfaction survey completed by people using the service.

In preparation for our visit, we checked the information we held about the service and the provider. This included statutory notifications sent to us by the registered provider about incidents and events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events, which the service is required to send us by law.

Updated 16 June 2018

This announced inspection took place on the 01and 08 May 2018. It was announced 48 business hours in advance in accordance with the Care Quality Commission’s current procedures for inspecting domiciliary care services. Our last inspection of the service was carried out on 4 February 2016. At that inspection we rated the service as good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.

Kerrier Home Care is a Domiciliary Care Agency that provides care and support to adults, in their own homes. The service provides help and support with people’s personal care needs in Redruth, Camborne, Penzance and surrounding areas. The service mainly provides personal care for people in short visits at key times of the day to help people get up in the morning, go to bed at night and support with meals.

At the time of our inspection 67 people were receiving a personal care service. These services were funded either privately or through Cornwall Council or NHS funding. There were 35 staff employed some of those were office based to coordinate and manage the service.

There was a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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.

People using the service consistently told us they felt safe and staff were caring and treated them well. They told us staff were like their family and they trusted them implicitly. People said, “Yes, I know [relative] is safe because staff know what they are doing” and “I feel safe because I know someone is coming every day.”

Safeguarding procedures were in place and staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse. Potential risks to people's safety and wellbeing had been assessed and managed.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided. Accidents and incidents were reported and reviewed to reduce the risk of an incident occurring again.

Medicine procedures were safe. The service supported people with their medicines by prompting them and in one instance administering them. Records showed when prompts had been made in the daily records at people’s homes. Where medicine was administered records were completed by staff.

Recruitment and selection was carried out safely with appropriate checks made before new staff could start working for the service. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience needed to care for people. They received training to carry out their role and were knowledgeable how to support and care for people. They had the skills, knowledge and experience to provide safe and effective support. People had been supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

People had a care plan that provided staff with direction and guidance about how to meet their individual needs and wishes. These care plans were regularly reviewed and any changes in people’s needs were communicated to staff. Assessments were carried out to identify any risks to the person using the service and to the staff supporting them. This included any environmental risks in people’s homes and any risks in relation to the care and support needs of the person.

People received care and support from a consistent team of staff with whom they were familiar. Staff arrived on time and stayed for the full time allocated. People spoke positively about the staff that supported them and told us they were always treated with care, respect and kindness. Staff were respectful of people’s privacy and maintained their dignity. Staff had developed good relationships with people and were familiar with their needs, routines and preferences.

Staff supported people to have a nutritious dietary and fluid intake, assisting them to prepare and eat food and drinks as they needed.

People had no complaints about the service they received or about the staff that provided their care and support; they were aware of the complaints procedure and processes and were confident they would be listened to should they raise any concerns.

Senior staff monitored the support staff provided to people. They checked staff arrived on time and supported people in the way people wanted. Audits of care records and risk assessments were carried out regularly. People and their relatives were encouraged to complete surveys about the quality of their care.