We carried out a review of the data available to us about Right at Home North Cheshire and Leigh on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Right at Home North Cheshire and Leigh, you can give feedback on this service.
Right at Home North Cheshire and Leigh is a domiciliary care agency which operates as a franchise of Right at Home UK. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community and specialist housing. It provides a service to older adults and people living with dementia. Not everyone using Right at Home North Cheshire and Leigh receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of inspection 13 people were receiving a regulated activity.
At the time of the inspection there was a registered manger in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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. At the time of inspection, the registered manager was on leave. In their absence the service was being run by the deputy manager and nominated individual, who was also the franchisee.
Right at Home North Cheshire and Leigh ensured people were at the heart of their care and support. People received a high standard of person centred care by staff; referred to as caregivers within the service, who were reported to be exceptionally kind, caring and considerate. People and relatives we spoke with, were extremely positive about the relationships they had formed with both caregivers and the service as a whole.
We saw caregivers had gone above and beyond and worked in their own time, or gone out of their way for the benefit of people using the service, to ensure their needs had been met or to provide them with unexpected treats and surprises. The service had also ensured a person’s holidays could continue following the death of their main carer, by ensuring the holiday accommodation was assessed and fitted with matching aids and adaptations, as well as supporting the trip, to aid consistency.
People, their relatives and the caregivers we spoke with, told us the service was extremely well-led and managed. Excellent communication was central to the service’s ethos and this was evidenced in the number of meetings, reviews and checks which had been completed.
People told us they felt safe as a result of the care and support they received. The service had comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures in place. Caregivers had all received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults, which was regularly refreshed and were able to demonstrate a good understanding of how to report both safeguarding and whistleblowing concerns. Caregivers were confident any concerns raised would be actioned by management or the franchisee.
Caregivers clearly knew the people they supported including their likes, dislikes and interests and the service ensured a small and consistent team worked with each person, with the person involved in this decision-making process.
The service strove to ensure the number of caregiver hours available exceeded the amount of care hours they needed to provide, to ensure people received a punctual and consistent service. Caregivers rosters were planned four weeks in advance and sent to caregivers two weeks in advance, to ensure any issues could be addressed in a timely manner. The service was also mindful of caregivers’ work life balance and the importance of forward planning, to enable them to organise their lives outside of work.
To ensure high quality care and consistency continued to be delivered, the service completed regular monitoring, spot checks and formal audits of service provision. The management team also worked alongside caregivers, to provide support and complete additional observations of practice.
Caregivers received high levels of support to enable them to provide outstanding care. In depth induction training was provided upon commencing employment, which included completion of the care certificate. Ongoing refresher training, regular supervision, team meetings and appraisals were also provided. Caregivers were seen as an integral part of the service and very much involved in feedback and decision making.
All staff at the service were further supported by access to confidential counselling support, which they could contact at any time to discuss both work related and personal matters.
The service was keen to ensure they were an active part of the local community and involved people in this process. This was achieved through fund raising events and partnership working with other health and social care providers. Links had been formed with a local care home, to the benefit of both organisations.
We saw medicines were managed safely and effectively, with detailed guidance in place for caregivers to ensure they knew what medicines people took and why. People we spoke with were complimentary about the support they received to ensure medicines were taken when required and as prescribed. We saw the service carried out audits of medicine administration record (MAR) charts each month to ensure medicines had been administered and documentation completed correctly. All caregivers administering medicines had received training and had their competency assessed.
We saw robust recruitment procedures were in place to ensure caregivers working for the service met the required standards. This involved all caregivers having a Disclosure and Baring Service (DBS) check, at least two references and full work history documented. DBS checks are used to help employers determine whether applicants are suitable to work with vulnerable people.
People and their relatives we spoke with were overwhelmingly positive about the service received and confirmed they would not hesitate to recommend the service to others. People and their relatives voiced that the service they received was the greatest example of a care provider they had ever experienced. Whilst no one had any concerns to raise, everybody felt confident if they had any issues they would be investigated fully and the service would be open and transparent when reporting their findings.