Alina Homecare Chobham and Camberley

Updated 6 November 2018

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 is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

We inspected the office on 19 September 2018. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in. The inspection was completed by one inspector.

We held telephone interviews with six people and one relative after the site visit inspection. With permission we also visited two people in their homes whilst care staff were present. We visited the office location on 19 September 2018 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records, training records, quality assurance and policies and procedures.

Before the inspection we reviewed records held by CQC which included notifications, complaints and any safeguarding concerns. A notification is information about important events which the registered person is required to send us by law. This enabled us to ensure we were addressing potential areas of concern at the inspection. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make

We spoke to seven staff and the operational manager. We looked at three care plans and three staff files. We checked the complaints log, accident/incident records and surveys completed by people who used the service. We also checked quality monitoring audits and records of spot checks on staff.

This was the first inspection undertaken at this service.

Updated 6 November 2018

Alina Homecare Chobham is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults. At the time of our inspection the service provided care to 15 people.

The inspection took place on 19 September 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of the inspection in order that they could be available in the office to assist us.

At the time of the inspection there was no registered manager although the provider was training a manager to become registered. 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.

People’s medicines were managed safely but not always recorded accurately or audited effectively for improvement. We found gaps in medicine administration records (MARs) and ineffective measures to address these faults.

There were sufficient numbers of trained staff employed to meet the agency's care commitments. The agency ensured that people received a safe and reliable service. People were helped to stay safe because staff understood people's needs and any risks involved in their care. Relatives were confident their family members were safe when receiving their care. There was a contingency plan in place to ensure people would continue to receive their care in the event of bad weather. People who would be most at risk were prioritised. Accidents and incidents were recorded and reviewed by the provider and reflective learning was used to learn from incidents.

Staff helped people keep their homes clean and hygienic. Staff understood the risk of spreading infection and as such wore personal protective equipment.

People's needs were assessed before they used the service to ensure the agency could provide the care they needed. People said their care workers always stayed for the allocated length of their visits.

Staff received the training and support they needed to do their jobs. Staff received regular refresher training and were supported through regular supervisions. Staff attended safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities in terms of recognising and reporting abuse. People were protected as robust recruitment procedures were in place.

People's care was provided in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff had received training on the MCA and understood how it applied in their work. People had recorded their consent to their care.

People received a service that was responsive to their individual needs. Each person had a care plan. Care plans provided guidance for staff and were reviewed regularly to ensure they continued to reflect people's needs. Staff were aware of people's individual dietary requirements and provided appropriate foods. Staff monitored people's healthcare needs and responded appropriately if people became unwell.

People knew how to complain if they were dissatisfied. People and relatives told us they felt they were listened to and the agency were good at communicating with them. The service had good working relationships with other professionals involved in people's care.

The service was managed effectively, which ensured people received safe and well-planned care. The provider sought feedback from people who used the service through annual surveys. Staff told us the provider supported them and made them feel valued. Team meetings took place regularly and were used to reinforce key messages. Notifications were correctly sent to CQC regarding any safeguarding alerts or serious injuries. The quality assurance audits for systems in place at the service were robust and effective at driving improvements.