Updated 4 July 2019
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 was carried out by two inspectors.
Service and service type: The service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. Not everyone using Blossom Home Care Ltd receives a regulated activity. The Care Quality Commission (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.
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: We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit. We needed to be sure the registered manager would be at the office.
Inspection site visit activity started and ended on 15 May 2019. We visited the office location on 15 May 2019 to see the registered manager and office staff and to review care records and policies and procedures. We spoke with people and relatives on 16 – 21 May 2019.
What we did before the inspection: We reviewed information we held about the service. We contacted the local authority contracts and safeguarding teams for any information they held about the service. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used their feedback to inform the planning of this inspection.
The registered manager completed a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
During the inspection: We spoke with seven people, six relatives, the registered manager, care coordinator, recruitment officer, senior care worker and three care workers. The recruitment officer sent an email we had composed to all 28 staff employed at the service asking for their feedback about working at Blossom Home Care Ltd. We also spoke with the account manager for an external training organisation which the provider used. We looked at three people’s care plans and information relating to staff training, recruitment and the management of the service.