Archived: Your Choice Homecare

Updated 6 August 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This was an announced inspection carried out on 7 May 2015. This was announced to ensure the manager would be available to facilitate our inspection at the head office. The inspection team consisted of an adult social care 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.

We reviewed the provider information return (PIR) sent to us by the service. A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

At the time of the inspection the service provided care and support to approximately 17 people. During the day we spoke with the registered manager, three people who used the service, three relatives and three members of staff. We spent time at the head office looking at various documentation such as care plans, staff personnel files, policies/procedures and quality assurance systems. We also visited one person in their home to see how medication was handled. Our expert by experience spoke with people who used the service and relatives over the telephone as part of the inspection, to seek feedback about the quality of service being provided.

At the time of our inspection, the service was not commissioned by a local authority, so we were unable to seek feedback from other agencies prior to undertaking the inspection.

Updated 6 August 2015

This was an announced inspection carried out on 7 May 2015. This was announced to ensure the manager would be available to facilitate our inspection at the head office.

Your Choice Home Care is a domiciliary care service located in Bolton. The service provides care to people living in their own homes, predominantly in and around the Bolton area. At the time of the inspection the service provided care and support to approximately 17 people. We last visited the service in June 2013 and found the service was meeting the requirements of the regulations, in all the areas we looked at.

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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The people we spoke with and their relatives told us that they felt safe with staff coming into their home and as a result of the care provided. One person said to us; “I certainly felt safe with the staff coming into my home. They support my independence on the physical side and also mentally”.

We found medication was handled safely and that people received their medicines at the times they needed it. As part of the inspection we visited one person in their own home to see how medication was stored and also how records were maintained by staff.

During the inspection we spoke with staff about their understanding of safeguarding vulnerable adults. Each member of staff was able to describe the process they would follow if they suspected abuse was taking place. One member of staff said; “I would check that the service user was ok first, report it to my manager and make a record of everything I had seen or heard”.

We looked at staff personnel files to ensure that staff had been recruited safely, with appropriate checks undertaken. Each file we looked at contained application forms, CRB/DBS checks and evidence that at least four references had been sought from previous employers, one of which was a character reference. These had been obtained before staff started working for the service.

The service used a matrix to monitor the training requirements of staff. This showed us that staff were trained in core subjects such as safeguarding, moving and handling, infection control and health and safety. The manager had a system in place to monitor when updates and refresher courses were due. Each member of staff we spoke with told us they were happy with the training and support available to them.

At the time of the inspection staff who worked at the service assisted several people with meal preparation as part of their care package requirements. If this was a requirement, we saw this was clearly recorded within peoples care plans.

We saw that staff received regular supervision as part of their on-going development. This provided an opportunity to discuss their workload, any concerns and any training opportunities they may have. We saw appropriate records were maintained to show these had taken place.

The people we spoke with and their relatives told us they were happy with the care provided by the service. One person said to us; “The staff are very friendly and respect my dignity by allowing me to do as much as I can for myself when I am able. They also provide me with companionship”.

People told us they were treated with dignity, respect and were allowed privacy at times they needed it. People also said they were offered choice about how they liked things doing.

There was a complaint procedure in place. There had been no formal complaints at the time of our inspection. The statement of purpose clearly described the process people could follow if they were unhappy with the service and people had a copy of this at their home address.

The staff we spoke with were extremely positive about the leadership of the service, describing it as ‘Outstanding’, ‘Phenomenal’ and ‘Super’.

There were various systems in place to monitor the quality of service provided to people. These included various audits, spot checks, observations and seeking feedback from people through the use of surveys.