My Homecare Chelmsford

Updated 16 March 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

This inspection was carried out 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

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

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to ensure someone would be in the office to meet with us.

Inspection activity started on 14 February 2023 and ended on 20 February 2023. We visited the location’s office on 16 February 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at all the information we held about this service. We used all of this to plan our inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with 1 person using the service and 10 family members. We spoke with the registered manager and 1 care staff and had emails from 10 members of the care staff about working for the service. We also received feedback from 2 professionals about the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people’s care plans and medicine records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 16 March 2023

My Homecare Chelmsford is a domiciliary care agency providing the regulated activity of personal care to people in their own homes. The service provided support to people living with dementia and people with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection, 26 people were receiving personal care.

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

The service was exceptionally well led and managed to a high standard. It had strong values and principles which was demonstrated by the provider, registered manager and staff in providing high quality care to people.

People, relatives and staff were, without exception, positive about the staff and management of the service. Strong governance systems were in place to monitor, maintain and improve the quality of the service to ensure it was person centred in all aspects.

People received safe care from staff who knew them well. There was a safeguarding policy in place and the registered manager and staff knew how to identify and report any concerns.

The service had enough staff to meet the needs of the people using the service. Staff had been safely recruited.

Staff supported people with their medicines. People told us they received their medicines on time. Staff had access to personal protective equipment and there were effective infection prevention and control measures in place.

Staff had received an induction and training to enable them to meet people’s needs. We saw that supervisions and spot checks for staff were carried out and staff told us they felt very valued and supported to perform their role by the management team.

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.

Staff were very caring, kind and genuine. They provided care and support to people in a respectful and compassionate way, respecting their individuality and culture.

The service carried out an assessment of each person’s needs and how they liked to be cared for and care plans included guidance for staff on how to meet those needs. Assessments of people at risk were identified and plans put in place to mitigate those risks.

People’s nutritional needs were met. They received support to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. No-one at the service was receiving end of life care.

The registered manager sought support and liaised with health and social care professionals when needed. As a result, staff met people’s need safely and effectively.

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 26 July 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.