Background to this inspection
Updated
22 March 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 this inspection and an expert by experienced made telephone calls to people using the service after our inspection. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type:
Westminster Homecare (Wallington) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults, younger disabled adults and children.
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:
The inspection took place on 15 February 2019 and was announced. We visited the office location to see the manager and office staff and to review care records and policies and procedures.
We told the provider two days before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because the registered manager is sometimes out of the office supporting staff or visiting people who use the service. We needed to be sure that they would be in.
What we did:
Before our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. This included notifications the provider is required by law to send us about events that happen within the service. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
During our inspection we spoke with the operational manager, the operational support manager, the registered manager, two members of office staff and one member of care staff. We looked at four people’s care records, four staff files as well as a range of other records about people's care, staff and how the service was managed.
After our inspection an expert by experience carried out the telephone calls to people or their relatives. They spoke with 12 people and five family members of people who used the service. We spoke to three members of care staff and we were sent additional information such as quality assurance records, service user guides and information about staff training and staff meetings.
Updated
22 March 2019
About the service:
Westminster Homecare (Wallington) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community in the London Boroughs of Croydon, Sutton and Merton. At the time of our inspection 137 people were using the service.
People’s experience of using this service:
People and their family members felt safe with the staff at Westminster Homecare (Wallington). There were systems in place to help make sure people were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff were aware of safeguarding procedures and understood how to protect the people they supported.
Staff helped make sure people were safe and knew the risks people faced each day. For example, risks to people’s health or mobility in their home. Staff took steps to reduce those risks while still making sure people had their independence and were able to do as much for themselves as they could.
There was a 24-hour call system in place, this made sure management support and advice was always available for people and staff when they needed it.
People were cared for by staff who received the right training and support to do their job well. The provider and registered manager made sure only suitable staff were employed to work at the service.
Staff felt supported by their managers and felt they could talk to them about any concerns and they would be acted on. Staff and their managers met regularly to discuss what was going well and what needed to be improved.
People and their family members were involved in making decisions about their care, treatment and support and care records reflected this. 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 and their family members liked their regular care staff and thought they were caring. Staff knew people well and people’s care records told staff how best to support them. People told us staff respected their privacy and dignity.
People were asked about their food and drink choices and staff assisted them with their meals when needed.
People and their family members said they would complain if they needed to and knew who to complain to. When a complaint was made the registered manager acted on the complaint and wrote to people to let them know what was happening and how they would put things right.
People were given the information they needed, in a way they needed it, so they could understand the care they received and support provided. People were contacted regularly to people’s homes helped staff review the quality of the care provided.
The registered manager and the provider made regular checks to make sure the care people received was good. When things went wrong they looked at the reasons why and how they could make things better for people.
For more details please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
This was the first inspection for this service.
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive. We will inspect in line with our inspection programme or sooner if required.