19 January 2016
During a routine inspection
The inspection took place on 19 January 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice because the service is a domiciliary care agency and we wanted to make sure someone would be available.
This was the first inspection of the service which was registered in July 2014.
Time2Care (BSE) Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people who live in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 52 people were using the service. The majority of people were over 65 years old and had a range of health and personal care needs. Some people were receiving support at the end of their lives. A small number of people were younger adults who had a learning disability, physical disability or mental health needs. People using the service lived within the London Borough of Hillingdon. The local authority and the local Primary Care Trust paid, or part paid, for some people’s care. Some people had arranged their care privately and paid for this themselves.
Time2Care (BSE) Ltd is a privately run organisation with two branches, one in Suffolk and this branch in Hillingdon. The organisation is owned and managed by a family. Some of the family work as carers and some in management roles.
There was a registered manager in post. 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.
There were appropriate procedures to safeguard people and the staff were aware of these.
The risks to people’s safety and wellbeing had been assessed and there were plans to maintain individual people’s safety.
There were enough staff to care for people. Recruitment procedures were designed to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people.
People received their medicines in a safe way. The staff received the training and support they needed to care for people safely.
People had consented to their care and treatment and were involved in decisions about their care.
People’s healthcare needs were monitored and the care workers liaised with other professionals to make sure these were met.
People told us they had a good relationship with their care workers and had the same regular care workers. They told us the staff were kind, polite and caring. They enjoyed their visits.
People told us the care workers treated them with respect and ensured their privacy and dignity.
People’s needs were assessed and care was planned to meet these needs. The care reflected personal preferences and supported people in a person centred way.
There was an appropriate complaints procedure and complaints were investigated and acted on.
There was a positive culture at the service where people using the service, their representatives and staff felt valued and able to share their ideas and concerns.
There were systems for monitoring the quality or the service and for working towards continuous improvement.