Heart to Heart

Updated 31 December 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. 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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

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 registered manager of the service had left employment at the time of our inspection and was in the process of de-registering with the Care Quality Commission. This meant the nominated individual was legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

The nominated individual told us they planned to complete an application to become the registered manager of the domiciliary care agency.

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 nominated individual would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch England. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We reviewed a range of records at the office, this included recruitment documentation for one member of staff and an agency staff proforma. We also reviewed associated training and induction records. We asked the nominated individual to send us a range of records so we could review these away from the office. Records included care plans, risk assessments, staff rotas and staff training and supervision records. Additionally, we requested some policies and other records relating to the management and oversight of the service.

After the inspection

Following the visit, we reviewed the records which were sent to us as requested. We spoke with one person who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with one support worker and held a virtual call with the nominated individual to validate the evidence found.

Updated 31 December 2021

About the service

Heart to Heart is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own home. The domiciliary care agency is registered to provide a service to people over and under the age of 65 years old, people living with dementia, and people with physical disabilities.

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. At the time of the inspection, the service was supporting one person, and they received personal care.

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

Care plans and risk assessments required review. We found records were not always fully reflective of the support needs of people and the risk reducing measures in place. The provider had policies and procedures for the domiciliary care agency which were not reflective of their registration, we found policies which solely referred to ‘young people’. The nominated individual told us these areas would be reviewed without delay.

We have made two recommendations for the nominated individual to review their records and policies.

People told us they felt safe and were supported by a regular team of carers. We were told staff were supportive, kind and considerate of people’s needs. People were encouraged with independence, decision making and choice which placed them central to the care they received.

Staff followed infection control requirements and told us they were supported with COVID-19 procedures, which included staff testing. Staff told us their personal safety risks had been reviewed, they had access to personal protective equipment (PPE), and guidance was available to them.

People’s needs had been assessed prior to care being delivered, and staff had the knowledge and skills to meet them. Staff told us they received good support from the nominated individual and felt able to raise any concerns. The nominated individual demonstrated safe recruitment procedures and was aware of their legal duty to report incidents of concern to the appropriate agencies.

People and relatives were involved in the care planning process. They told us staff were flexible to provide a service which met their needs and requirements. We were told the nominated individual regularly approached people and their relatives for feedback, and people told us they knew how to report concerns.

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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

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

Rating

This service was registered on 5 November 2019 and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date of 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.