About the service:

Cottage HomeCare Services is a domiciliary care agency. At the time of our inspection, the service was providing care to 59 people who were living in their own homes.

People’s experience of using this service:

¿ People spoke positively about the care they received. They told us care staff were kind and patent. One person told us, “They are really accommodating and help me out when I get stuck”.

¿ Care plans were person-centred and provided staff with the information they needed to provide care and support in a way that met people’s needs and preferences. The plans were regularly reviewed to take into account any changes in need.

¿ Staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse and people told us the care workers who supported them ensured their well-being. They said that staff were vigilant to their safety and that they ensured their security when entering and leaving their property.

¿ The service had systems in place to ensure the safe recruitment of staff. People told us that they were supported by staff who knew them well, and there was sufficient time to meet their needs.

¿ Staff had access to regular training and supervision to ensure they maintained good practice.

¿ Where people required assistance with medicines this was noted in their care plans and people and their relatives told us that staff were careful when administering medicines. Staff were attentive to people’s health needs and liaised with healthcare professionals as necessary.

¿ People told us that they were consulted about how they wanted their care to be delivered, and had consented to care and support. They were offered choices, and services were provided in line with mental capacity legislation.

¿ People told us that staff were generally punctual, but would phone if they were going to be delayed.

¿ The service had a complaints policy and people told us they would feel comfortable raising any concerns with the registered manager, and confident that they would be resolved. We saw complaints were identified, investigated and used to improve the service.

¿ There were processes in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service.

¿ The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. She was supported by a management team who had the knowledge and experience to operate the service safely and effectively. They demonstrated a good understanding of all aspects of managing the service.

¿ The service met the characteristics of good in all areas. More information is in the full report

Rating at last inspection:

At our last inspection, the service was rated “good”. Our last report was published on 21 September 2016.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection. Our announced inspection started on 28 March ended on 29 March 2019.

Follow up:

Going forward we will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with our reinspection schedule for services rated Good.

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

Cottage Homecare Services provides help and support to people enabling them to remain in their own homes for as long as they wish. The agency offers a variety of services in areas such as assistance with personal care, domestic tasks, help with medication and shopping.

At the time of the inspection there was a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

This was the first rated inspection for this service.

Staff were aware of and had been trained in safeguarding procedures to help protect the health and welfare of people who used the service.

Risk assessments for health needs or environmental hazards helped protect the health and welfare of people who used the service but did not restrict their lifestyles.

Staff were trained in the administration of medicines and managers checked the records to help spot any errors and keep people safe.

People were supported to take a healthy diet if required and staff were trained in food safety.

Plans of care were individual to each person and showed staff had taken account of their wishes. Plans of care were regularly reviewed.

The agency asked for people’s views around how the service was performing to improve the service.

There was a suitable complaints procedure for people to voice their concerns. There had not been any major concerns since the last inspection.

We observed a good rapport between people who used the service and staff. We saw that staff appeared to know people well and understand their needs.

Staff were recruited using current guidelines to help minimise the risk of abuse to people who used the service.

Staff were trained in medicines administration and supported people to take their medicines if it was a part of their care package.

Staff received an induction and were supported when they commenced work to become competent to work with vulnerable people. Staff were well trained and supervised to feel confident within their roles. Staff were encouraged to take further training in health and social care topics.

Management conducted sufficient audits to ensure the service was performing well.

The office was suitable for providing a domiciliary care service and was staffed during office hours. There was an on call service for people to contact out of normal working hours.

People who used the service thought managers were accessible and available to talk to.

Staff were trained in infection prevention and control and issued with personal equipment to help protect the health and welfare of people who used the service.