The Care Quality Commission
  • Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Archived: The Homecare Partnership

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

2 Etrona Buildings, 172 Granville Road, London, NW2 2LD (020) 8731 7622

Provided and run by:
The Homecare Partnership Limited

All Inspections

1 and 2 July 2015

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced inspection on the 1 and 2 July 2015. The Homecare Partnership provides personal care services to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 230 people were receiving a personal care service.

At our last inspection on 10 October 2013 we found the service was meeting the regulations inspected.

The Homecare Partnership Limited is a homecare agency registered to provide personal care in people’s homes and in supported living schemes. People who used the service include those with dementia, and people with learning or physical disabilities, mental health conditions and sensory impairment.

The service has a registered manager who has been with the service since it opened. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We saw that the registered manager was accessible and approachable to staff during our visit to the office. People who used the service and relatives felt able to speak with the manager and provided feedback on the service. We noted that the service undertook spot checks which involved obtaining feedback from people on the quality of the service. .

People were kept safe and free from harm. There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service. Staff were able to accommodate last minute changes to appointments as requested by the person who used the service or their relatives.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. People told us that they felt the staff had the skills and knowledge required to support them.

Staff knew the people they were supporting and provided a personalised service. Task plans were in place demonstrating the support to be provided to people. People and relatives were involved in their care. People told us they liked the staff and they were always treated with dignity and respect.

People were supported to eat and drink. Staff supported people to attend healthcare appointments and liaised with their GP and other healthcare professionals as required to meet people’s needs.

There were systems in place to monitoring the quality of the service. People were asked their views about the service and most people and relatives told us that they were involved in decisions about people’s care.

10 October 2013

During a routine inspection

During our inspection we spoke to people who used the service, relatives and members of staff. People who used the service were very positive about their care workers, many describing them as 'excellent' and 'faultless'.

We looked at safeguarding records for all staff and saw evidence that all staff had received safeguarding training. Staff were trained to identify and escalate signs of potential abuse and neglect. Staff we spoke to understood what safeguarding was and there role in protecting people who used the service.

We looked at the recruitment process and records for staff training and found these to be up to date.

The records also showed that appraisals and supervision had taken place.

We saw evidence of a complaints log and that the provider reviewed and assessed the complaints received. Staff we spoke to demonstrated that they knew how to escalate complaints. Relatives and clients told us that they to felt able to contact senior staff if they had concerns.

7 June 2012

During a themed inspection looking at Domiciliary Care Services

We carried out a themed inspection looking at domiciliary care services. We asked people to tell us what it was like to receive services from this home care agency as part of a targeted inspection programme of domiciliary care agencies with particular regard to how people's dignity was upheld and how they can make choices about their care. The inspection team was led by a CQC inspector joined by an Expert by Experience who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

We used telephone interviews, and home visits to people who use the service and to their main carers (a relative or friends), to gain views about the service. We gained the direct views of 17 people who use the service and 12 relatives and representatives. This included seven people we met during home visits.

Most people felt their needs were met by the services provided. One person said, 'My care worker does anything I ask her.' People told us they had been consulted and involved in the planning of their care.

Everyone reported receiving the same care worker or small team of care workers. One relative said, 'It's a great plus of the agency.' People also reported that care workers usually turned up on time. Most people said they were kept informed if there was a change of care worker or anyone was running late. Most people felt care workers were well-trained.

Most people said they had been treated with respect and dignity. A few people told us some of their care workers were rude and did not treat them with respect and dignity.

13 September 2011

During an inspection in response to concerns

People who used the service and their relatives were satisfied with the services provided. They informed us that staff had treated them with respect and dignity. Their views can be summarised by the following comments :

'I am very satisfied with my carers. They could not be any nicer.'

'My carers do what they are supposed to do.'

'Thank you for providing my relative with such a high standard of care.' (relative)

When we discussed care issues, we noted that the registered manager and her staff were knowledgeable regarding the needs of people who use the service and how those needs are to be met.

The required assessments and other care documentation were in place and people who use the service informed us that they had confidence in their carers and they carried out their duties as agreed in their care plans. When we discussed safeguarding issues, we noted that the registered manager and her staff were knowledgeable regarding the need to ensure that people who used the service were protected from abuse. We however, noted that some staff had a misunderstanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to a recent safeguarding incident. We have therefore set an improvement action for the service.

People who use the service further informed us that quality assurance spot checks had been done and the agency had asked for their views regarding the quality of services provided. However, there was no final report of the recent consumer survey findings or any action plan following this survey.We have therefore set an improvement action for the service.