Background to this inspection
Updated
12 May 2023
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by 1 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
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service 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 7 March 2023 and ended on 23 March 2023. We visited the location’s office on 7 March 2023.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, Healthwatch and a local advocacy organisation. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 4 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 8 staff, this included the registered manager, nominated individual, consultant, team leaders and director. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We reviewed a range of records. This included 7 people's care records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures, were reviewed.
Following our visits to the office, we continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, electronic call monitoring data and quality assurance records off site. We reviewed care records remotely through the provider’s electronic care records system.
Updated
12 May 2023
About the service
Happy Homecare Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency. The service provides personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 21 people using the service. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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
We were not assured all recruitment checks had been undertaken. Governance systems were in place to ensure all aspects of the service were reviewed and checked regularly. People and their relatives consistently told us the care they received was safe. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. People told us staff always attended their scheduled visits and would let them know if they were delayed. People were supported to take their medicines safely and this was consistently well recorded. People told us staff took appropriate infection protection control measures.
We saw evidence people had an initial assessment, and this was used to develop their care plans. People and their relatives described ways they were involved in the development and updating of care plans and risk assessments.
People and their relatives consistently told us staff obtained their consent and views about the service they received. Staff gave us many examples of how they knew people well and how they wished to be cared for.
Staff received an induction programme at the start of their employment and further coaching and shadowing of experienced staff, which gave them the skills and knowledge to care for people in their own homes. Staff were further supported with supervision and appraisals.
People and their relatives told us staff consistently gave them choices. Staff understood how to provide personalised care and ensure people’s nutritional needs wet met.
People and their relatives 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 and update
The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 13 September 2022).
The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.
At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
This service has been in Special Measures since 13 September 2022. During this inspection the provider demonstrated improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 13 September 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment, safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment and good governance.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Happy Homecare Services Limited on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Recommendations
We have made a recommendation about the management of some aspects of recruitment.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.