Home's Best

Updated 6 May 2021

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. The Expert by Experience made calls to people and their relatives seeking feedback on the service. 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

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

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. This was because it is a community based service and we needed to be sure the registered manager and care manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started and concluded on 22 April 2021. We visited the office location on 22 April 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received since the service was registered with us. We also sought feedback from health care professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete 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. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with two members of staff including one from the office, the care manager and the registered manager who was also a representative of the provider. We reviewed a range of records which included four people's care records and five staff files. We looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found.

Updated 6 May 2021

About the service

Home's Best is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of inspection, 18 people were receiving personal care.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

There were issues around the safe recruitment of staff. Some pre-recruitment checks were not made in the five files we considered. During the inspection, additional measures were put in place to ensure these matters were resolved. We found no evidence people were at risk of harm from this concern. This has resulted in making a recommendation that can be seen in the 'safe' section of this report.

People told us they felt safe. Staff understood their responsibilities about keeping people safe. Risks were identified and managed. Incidents and accidents were recorded so that they could be considered and reflected upon to make improvements to the service. Staff understood their responsibilities to prevent the spread of infection whilst working in and between people's homes. They wore the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) and were regularly tested to ensure they were safe to work with people.

People liked the staff who supported them and told us staff were kind and respectful. The registered manager, care manager and staff considered people’s diversity and respected their right to privacy and dignity. They encouraged people to be as independent as they could be and involved them in decisions about their care. People's personal information was kept confidentially.

Staff had completed training in key areas and were supported to carry out their roles. They were supported in their roles by the provider and registered manager. People were supported to access health services if needed. People's dietary needs were assessed and, where required, they were supported with their meals.

People's care plans were up to date and detailed their individual needs and preferences. People and their relatives knew how to complain.

People were supported during the end of their life. The service respected people's wishes and worked closely with relatives and health care professionals to ensure people had dignity in their final days.

The service was managed by a registered manager who had a clear vision about the quality of care they wanted to provide. The registered manager was also a representative of the provider. Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities. There were quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. There was a focus on continuous improvement and learning from mistakes.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 07/08/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information 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