Verity Healthcare - Haringey

Updated 27 July 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection site visit was carried out by two inspectors. An Expert by Experience made calls to people using the service or their relatives. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to allow for the provider or registered manager to seek permission to contact people and their relatives for feedback about their experiences to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 11 May 2022 and ended on 13 May 2022. We visited the location’s office on 11 May 2022.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we had received about the service including notifications they sent us. We asked for feedback from the local authority who work with the service.

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and a representative of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records including five care plans and risk assessments medicines records and daily notes. We looked at two staff recruitment and training records.

We looked at records related to the management of the service such as call monitoring records and audits.

On 13 May 2022, the Expert by Experience spoke by phone with two people using the service and two family members to understand their experience of the service. The inspectors spoke with five care workers and one care supervisor by phone to understand their views about the service .

We contacted two health professionals to understand their views about the service but did not receive any feedback.

Updated 27 July 2022

About the service

Verity Healthcare – Haringey is a domiciliary care agency. The service provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes.

Not everyone using Verity Healthcare – Haringey receives personal care; 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 take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection there were five people receiving personal care.

The provider is also registered to provide Treatment for Disease, Disorder and Injury but as at the last inspection they advised us they were not delivering this at the time of our inspection and had not done so since the last inspection.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We found improvements had been made since the last inspection. There were some minor inconsistencies in some record keeping which the provider had identified and were working to resolve.

Staff understood how to protect people from abuse or neglect. The registered manager and staff understood their role in safeguarding adults.

Risks to people were assessed and staff had guidance on how to minimise risks where they were identified.

People received support from staff to take their medicines safely. There were enough staff to meet people’s care needs. Robust recruitment checks were carried out before staff started work to protect people from unsuitable staff.

Staff followed government guidance in relation to infection prevention and control. Staff had received training on COVID 19 and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Staff received the training and support required to meet people’s needs. People received support from staff to maintain a balanced diet, where this was part of their support needs.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People using the service told us they were treated in a caring, manner and staff treated them with dignity and respect and encouraged their independence. They said staff sometimes stayed longer than the planned care time and acted to support them above and beyond their planned care.

People had a person-centred plan for their support which they told us was regularly reviewed. They told us they had not needed to complain but knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy with the service.

People had access to information about the service in a format that met their needs. Staff received training in end of life care and understood how to meet people’s needs.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of service that people received. Regular audits and spot check were carried out. Staff said they received good support from the registered manager and care coordinator.

People and their relatives’ views about the service were sought regularly through telephone monitoring, spot checks and satisfaction surveys. Feedback they received was used to improve the service.

The provider had introduced a number of initiatives including the purchase of interactive water bottles which helped remind people of the importance of staying hydrated. These helped to improve the quality of people's care.

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 inadequate (Report published 03 December 2021) and there were breaches of regulation.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 03 December 2021. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Verity Healthcare- Haringey on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.