Archived: Lotus Home Care York

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.