Radfield Home Care York, Thirsk & Ryedale

Updated 7 April 2023

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed 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 homes.

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 but they were on extended leave from the service. Prior to going on planned leave, they had supported the deputy manager to step up and be the acting manager during this planned period of leave.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 4 days’ notice of the inspection. This was because we were using technology to review and assess the performance of the service and the service needed time to gather and share evidence with us.

Inspection activity started on 9 January 2023 and ended on 13 January 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at information sent to us since the service registered with us such as notifications about accidents and safeguarding alerts. 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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the office of the service. We used technology such as phone calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation. Inspection activities took place on 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 January 2023. We looked at a range of documentation including care files, daily records and medication administration records for 3 people. We looked at 2 staff recruitment files and reviewed documentation relating to the management and running of the service such as staff rotas, training and audits.

We spoke with 6 members of staff including care staff, senior care staff, the care co-ordinator, the manager and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with 5 people who used the service and 6 relatives. We received feedback from 2 health and social care professionals.

Updated 7 April 2023

About the service

Radfield Home Care York, Thirsk and Ryedale is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service is registered to provide support to younger and older adults who may be living with a sensory impairment, physical disability, mental health condition or dementia.

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 the inspection, 31 people were using the service, of which 30 people were receiving support with personal care.

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

Staff were outstandingly kind, caring and considerate and regularly went above and beyond with thoughtful gestures which had a positive impact on people’s wellbeing. Staff were extremely knowledgeable about people’s needs, preferences and personal histories which supported them to provide exceptionally personalised care. Without exception, people, their relatives and professionals spoke very highly of the staff; they developed honest and genuinely caring relationships with people and their relatives. A relative said “They’re very nice people, who are good for [Person’s name]. The staff are chatty and keep them entertained and interested. they have a rapport with them and [Person’s name] is 100% happy with the staff.”

The service was excellently managed and was a positive role model to other organisations and the local community. The provider lived and worked by their values which were embedded throughout the service and shared by staff. The provider truly valued staff for their terrific work, ensuring they were fully supported and recognised for going above and beyond. The management team understood issues in the local community and worked to address them through effective working with a wide range of other organisations.

People were supported safely by staff with the relevant training, skills and knowledge to manage risks to their safety and well-being which included raising safeguarding concerns when required. Staff administered people’s medicines safely and wore PPE in line with current guidance. The provider’s recruitment systems ensured only suitable staff were employed.

People’s needs were assessed, recorded and regularly reviewed and updated which ensured staff had current information to support them to effectively meet people’s needs. Staff communicated and worked closely with relevant professionals for the benefit of people’s well-being.

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 sought people’s consent before providing care.

Systems were in place to support people at the end of their lives in a comfortable and dignified manner. Complaints had been acted upon and resolved through appropriate action. People were supported to access social activities where this was part of their commissioned package of care.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 25 October 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.