Background to this inspection
Updated
6 July 2019
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. 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
One inspector carried out the inspection.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes.
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 because we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available to support the inspection.
Before the inspection
We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.
We reviewed the evidence we had about the service. This included any notifications of significant events, such as serious injuries or safeguarding referrals. Notifications are information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.
During the inspection
Inspection site visit activity started and ended on 13 June 2019. We visited the office location on this date to speak with the registered manager and care co-ordinator and to review records, policies and procedures.
We checked care records for three people, including their assessments, care plans and risk assessments. We looked at four staff files and records of staff training and supervision. We also checked records including satisfaction surveys, complaints, accident and incident records, quality monitoring checks and audits.
After the inspection
We spoke with four people who used the service and two relatives by telephone to hear their views about the care and support provided. We received feedback from three staff about the training and support they received from the agency to carry out their roles.
Updated
6 July 2019
Longdene Homecare Ltd - North Surrey is a domiciliary care agency that was supporting 50 people at the time of the inspection. Not everyone using the service receives a regulated activity; 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 consider any wider social care provided. Most of the people using the service were older people although some were younger adults who needed support due to health conditions or disability.
People’s experience of using this service:
People received a flexible service that was responsive to their individual needs. The agency responded well if people needed to change their care arrangements, including at short notice. The agency had also responded quickly to support people in an emergency, for example if they had become unwell.
People received consistent support from kind and caring staff. Staff understood people’s individual needs and their preferences about their care. People had established close relationships with their regular care workers and looked forward to their visits. Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity when providing their care.
The support that staff provided enabled people to remain as independent as possible. Staff supported people to attend appointments, go shopping and to maintain their involvement in their community. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People’s needs and any potential risks involved in their care were assessed before they used the service. Where risks were identified, measures had been implemented to mitigate these.
Care plans were comprehensive and personalised according to people’s individual needs. People were encouraged to give feedback about their care through surveys and regular quality checks. If people had raised concerns or suggested changes, the registered manager had used these to improve the service.
The agency communicated well with other professionals to ensure people received the care they needed. Staff monitored people’s health and reported any concerns they observed to the management team. This enabled the management team or people’s families to arrange appropriate healthcare input.
The management team maintained an effective oversight of the service and addressed any issues highlighted through quality monitoring. Team meetings were held regularly and staff were encouraged to contribute to the development of the service.
Staff had the induction, training and support they needed to carry out their roles. Staff had access to management supervision, which provided opportunities to review their performance and discuss any development needs. The management team carried out spot checks to monitor staff practice and the care people received.
Staff received medicines training and their practice was observed before they were authorised to administer medicines. Recent audits carried out by the management team had identified some errors in the recording of medicines. The registered manager had reminded staff of correct procedures at a team meeting and, after our inspection, arranged further training for staff.
The provider had robust recruitment procedures which helped ensure only suitable staff were employed. Staff received safeguarding training and understood their roles in protecting people from abuse. If concerns had been raised about staff conduct, these had been appropriately reported, investigated and addressed.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
At the last inspection the service was rated Good (report published on 6 December 2016).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.