North Haven Care and Support Ltd

Updated 25 June 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 one 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

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

This inspection was announced.

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service was operating during the pandemic and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 15 April 2021 and ended on 17 May 2021. A site visit to the office took place on 17 May 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. We sought feedback from the local authorities 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service and 20 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager and care co-ordinator. We also spoke with three professionals who have knowledge of the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medicine records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, safeguarding data and quality assurance records.

Updated 25 June 2021

North Haven Care and Support Limited, is a domiciliary service which provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of inspection 86 people were receiving personal care and support. 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.

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

People told us they received safe care. They also told us staff were rarely late and no calls had been missed. People received their medicines as prescribed. We did find one issue where people's allergies although included in their care plan, had not been included on their medication record. We spoke to the registered manager who took immediate action to rectify this. We have made a recommendation regarding the recording of people's allergies.

Staff had the appropriate skills, experience and training to care for people safely. Prior to any care packages commencing, detailed assessments were completed to ensure the service could meet the people’s need. People were supported to maintain a good diet. Staff worked with other agencies to ensure people had access to services to support their health, including their GP, district nurses and occupational therapists.

People and their relatives were very complimentary regarding the level of care and compassion staff demonstrated for people. Staff cared for people in the way people wished to be cared for. People's needs were reviewed when a change in support was identified. Any complaints received were actioned and where necessary, changes made.

The service was well-led. All professional feedback was very positive about how the service was run and the vast majority of feedback from, people, staff and relatives was also positive regarding the management of the service. The registered manager completed a number of quality checks to make sure people received good care. The provider is currently in the process of employing additional office staff to further improve the quality and running of the service.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

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 16 September 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based upon the provider's initial registration date.

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.