Archived: Harlington Care

Updated 19 December 2020

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector. We were supported by an Expert by Experience who made telephone calls to people using the service and 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

We started to make contact with people using the service on 1 December 2020. We visited the office location on 8 December 2020.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at all the information we held about the service, including details of their registration, notification of significant events and information we obtained through direct contact with them such as phone calls and emails.

We spoke with three people who used the service and the relatives of 22 other people by telephone. We received feedback from eight care workers and a representative of the local authority.

During the inspection

We met the registered manager and service manager and other senior staff. We also met the clinical lead from the provider's hospice service, who worked closely with the care agency. We looked at the care records for six people who use the service, the staff files for six members of staff and other records used by the provider for managing the service.

After the inspection

We reviewed information the provider sent us. This included their business plans and a strategic review. We also contacted representatives of another agency who commissioned services from Harlington Care.

Updated 19 December 2020

About the service

Harlington Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The service offers care to older and younger adults and children. At the time of our inspection 178 people were using the service.

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. There were 28 people receiving personal care at the time of our inspection.

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

People using the service were happy and their needs were met. They were able to make choices about their care and were involved in planning and reviewing this. People had good relationships with the staff, and they told us staff were kind, caring and respectful.

Risks to people's safety and well-being were assessed, monitored and managed. The staff had enough information about people's needs and risks relating to these so that they could care for people in a safe way

People received support to take their medicines when needed.

Recruitment procedures included checks to make sure only suitable staff were employed. The staff were offered training, supervision and support; and the provider assessed their skills and knowledge. The staff felt supported and enjoyed working for the agency.

There were effective systems for monitoring the quality of the service. These included learning from adverse events, responding to complaints and working with other organisations to make sure people received safe care and treatment.

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

Rating at last inspection

This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered in May 2019.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted because our systems had identified a potential risk for people using the service. This was partly because the service had not been inspected before.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm. Please see the safe, responsive and well-led sections 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.