We carried out a review of the data available to us about Hants Healthcare 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 Hants Healthcare, you can give feedback on this service.
Hants Healthcare is a domiciliary care provider. At the time of this inspection 70 people received personal care support from the service. The service supported older people, some of whom were living with dementia, within their own homes.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt safe using the service and relatives felt assured they were kept safe. Systems were in place to protect people from abuse. Staff we spoke with were aware of how to identify, prevent and report abuse. There were enough staff to keep people safe and staff were safely recruited. Some people felt calls were not always on time.
The service had employed staff from overseas and safe and supportive recruitment had taken place to ensure they were of good character and had the necessary skills.
There were plans in place for foreseeable emergencies. Risks concerned with people’s health, care and the environment were assessed and reduced as far as was practicable.
People were supported to take their medicines safely. Staff were provided with training and checked to ensure they were following correct procedures.
Most staff felt supported by the provider and registered manager and could visit the office to discuss any concerns. Staff were supported by training as well as ‘away days’ and staff initiatives.
There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Care plans provided comprehensive information about how people wished to receive care and support. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.
The registered manager was very passionate about equality and diversity which was very evident during the inspection.
The service worked well with the local community to achieve good outcomes for people and the local community.
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. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 01 November 2019). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to complaints and staffing and the management of the service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, responsive and well-led only.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
About the service
Hants Healthcare is a domiciliary care provider. At the time of this inspection 31 people received personal care support from the service. The service supported older people, some of who were living with dementia, within their own homes.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Before the inspection we received concerns that the service had insufficient staff to keep people safe. During the inspection people and their relatives consistently told us that there were not enough staff which had resulted in calls either being very late or staff not staying the allocated amount of time. Records showed that this often happened.
Medicines were not always safe, improvements were needed for the management of creams.
People did not always receive person centred care as often calls were cut short and staff rushing out instead of spending quality time with people.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided, however these were not always effective. The provider had failed to ensure effective oversight of service provision.
People using the service and their relatives, told us they felt safe. Staff understood and followed guidance to enable them to recognise and address any safeguarding concerns about people.
Relevant recruitment checks were conducted before staff started working at the service to make sure they were of good character and had the necessary skills.
There were plans in place for foreseeable emergencies. Risks concerned with people’s health care and the environment were assessed and reduced as far as was practicable.
Staff contacted healthcare professionals when they had concerns about people’s health and wellbeing.
People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff were able to identify and discuss the importance of maintaining people’s respect and privacy at all times.
People were supported with their nutritional needs when required. People received varied meals including a choice of fresh food and drinks. Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes.
There was a system in place to allow people to express any concerns or complaints they may have. Care plans had been reviewed with people to ensure they were delivering person centred care.
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. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Staff felt supported by the provider and registered manager and could visit the office to discuss any concerns. Staff were supported by training and supervisions.
The service promoted community involvement within the service.
More information is in the full report below.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 19 May 2018).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about whether there were enough staff to ensure people received a reliable and consistent service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see information in the report.
We have identified breaches in relation to staffing, medicines and lack of governance at this inspection.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Hants Healthcare provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the agency was providing a service for 19 older people with a variety of care needs, including people living with physical frailty or memory loss due to the progression of age.
The service had a registered manager. 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.
We received positive feedback from people about the service. All people and their relatives who used the service expressed great satisfaction and spoke highly of the care staff.
People and their relatives told us they felt safe and secure when receiving care. Environmental and individual risks were identified and measures put in place to minimise these risks.
People were supported to take their medicines safely from suitably trained staff. Medication administration records (MAR) confirmed people had received their medicines as prescribed. Not all staff had been assessed to ensure they remained competent to administer people’s medicines safely. However, the manger was in the process of completing these.
Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse. Staff contacted healthcare professionals promptly when they had concerns about people’s health and wellbeing.
Safe recruitment practices were followed and appropriate checks were undertaken, which helped make sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in their own homes. There were enough staff to keep people safe.
There were plans in place to ensure continuity of care during foreseeable emergencies.
People felt they were treated with kindness and compassion and said their privacy and dignity was respected. Staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and understood that people had the right to make their own choices.
Staff received regular support and one to one sessions or supervision to discuss areas of development. They completed a wide range of training and felt it supported them in their job role. New staff completed an induction before being permitted to work unsupervised.
Care plans provided comprehensive information about how people wished to receive care and support. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.
People felt listened to, a complaints procedure was in place and people knew how to make a complaint if they needed to.
Staff felt supported by the management and felt they could visit the office and would be listened to. Regular audits of the service were carried out to assess and monitor the quality of the service.