Archived: Bhandal Homecare

Updated 5 September 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 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.

Inspection team:

Our inspection was conducted by one 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 care service.

Service and service type:

Bhandal Homecare is a domiciliary care service, registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes in the community.

The service had two managers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This means 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 notice of the inspection visit. This is because senior staff are often out of the office and we needed to be sure that they would be available to participate in the inspection. Our inspector visited the office on 25 July and 13 August to interview staff and to review care records and other documentation. Prior to this, our expert by experience telephoned people who used the service to seek their feedback on the service.

What we did:

In planning our inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service. This included any notifications (events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about).

During our inspection we spoke with eight people and two relatives to ask about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with one of the registered managers (‘the manager’), one of the directors of the registered provider, two care workers and an internal auditor.

We reviewed a range of written records including two care plans, two staff recruitment files and information relating to staff training and the auditing and monitoring of service provision.

Updated 5 September 2019

About the service:

Bhandal Homecare is a domiciliary care service. It is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes in the community, including older people and people living with dementia. The service operates in Newark and nearby towns and villages. At the time of our inspection, 158 people were receiving a personal care service.

People’s experience of using this service:

Staff understood people’s individual care needs and preferences and used this knowledge to provide them with flexible, responsive support. The provider took care to involve people and their relatives in planning and reviewing their care and to deploy staffing resources in accordance with their individual preferences. People were provided with food and drink of their choice.

Staff worked together in a mutually supportive way and communicated effectively, internally with each other and externally with a range of organisations. Training and supervision systems were in place to provide staff with the knowledge and skills they required to meet people’s needs effectively.

Staff were kind and attentive in their approach and were committed to supporting people to maintain their independence. Staff worked in a non-discriminatory way and promoted people’s dignity and privacy. Staff worked collaboratively with local health and social care services to ensure people had access to specialist support if required. Systems were in place to ensure effective infection prevention and control and people's medicines were managed safely. Staff were aware of people’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and supported people to have maximum choice and control of their lives, in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People’s individual risk assessments were reviewed and updated to take account of changes in their needs. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns to keep people safe from harm. Staff recruitment practice was safe.

The registered managers provided strong, supportive leadership and were liked and respected by their team. A number of audits was in place to monitor the quality and safety of service provision. There was organisational learning from significant incidents and formal complaints were rare. The provider was committed to the continuous improvement of the service in the future.

Why we inspected:

The service was registered with the Care Quality Commission on 24 August 2018. This was our first inspection of the service.

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 any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.