Archived: Lotus Home Care York

Updated 9 July 2021

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. This inspection was planned to check 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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by one 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.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own home. The service had a manager registered with CQC. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to ensure staff would be available at the office to assist.

Inspection activity started on 25 May 2021 and ended on 7 June 2021. We visited the office location on 25 May and 2 June 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included information from the provider and from other sources. We requested feedback from the local authority who contract with this service. We used all this information to plan our inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We visited the office twice and spoke to care staff over the telephone. The Expert by Experience spoke with people and relatives over the telephone to gather their feedback on the service. We spoke with 12 people who used the service and one relative. We spoke with eight staff, including the registered manager, deputy manager, quality and compliance manager and five care workers.

We looked at records related to people’s care and the management of the service. We viewed five people’s care records, four staff recruitment and induction files, rotas and scheduling, training and supervision information, and a range of records used to monitor the quality and safety of the service.

After the inspection

We continued to review evidence from the inspection and sought clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 9 July 2021

About the service:

Lotus Home Care York is a domiciliary care agency providing care and support to people with a range of support needs living in their own homes. There were 49 people being supported with personal care at the time of our inspection.

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 received a caring and effective service. However, recent staffing vacancies had resulted in some inconsistencies with call times and staffing arrangements. The registered manager was recruiting new staff to address this. Most people received their medicines as prescribed, but improvements were required for one person, to ensure their time-specific medicine was given at the right times. The provider’s policy in relation to COVID-19 needed updating to reflect appropriate guidance; this was addressed straightaway.

Staff received induction training, spot checks and supervision to help them support people effectively. People’s needs were assessed and there were care plans in place, with information for staff about people’s needs and preferences. Some care plans needed more clarity about aspects of people’s health needs. The provider agreed to address this. Staff supported people to access healthcare professionals when required and worked with other agencies to meet people’s needs.

Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, 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. Staff sought people’s consent before delivering care and respected their wishes.

Staff were responsive to people’s individual needs and encouraged them to be as independent as possible. People’s privacy and dignity was respected; staff put them at ease when providing support with personal care and bathing. People told us staff were friendly and respectful.

Any complaints people raised were investigated and responded to. There was a quality assurance system in place, including audits and spot checks. The provider was making improvements to quality assurance and governance arrangements, to improve provider level oversight and make systems more effective in addressing any shortfalls. We have made a recommendation about quality assurance.

The service benefitted from an experienced registered manager and deputy manager, who promoted a positive, person-centred culture. Staff felt supported and enjoyed their work. They spoke warmly about the people they cared for.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection:

This service was registered with CQC on 8 April 2019 and this was the first rated inspection of the service.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date of the provider’s registration.

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.