About the service: Hannah’s Homecare is a domiciliary care agency, providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service operates from an office based in Warrington. At the time of this inspection there were 14 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received support from staff that were kind, caring and compassionate. People’s needs had been fully assessed prior to them being supported by the service. Care plans had been developed and reflected people’s individual needs and preferences. They had been regularly reviewed to ensure the most up-to-date information and guidance was available for staff. People were supported by regular staff with whom they had developed positive relationships with.

Recruitment practices were safe and people were supported by staff that had undertaken a thorough induction and had completed training that was relevant to their role. Enough staff were employed to meet the needs of the people supported.

Risk assessments were in place giving guidance to staff to ensure that risks were minimised. These were regularly reviewed and held the most up-to-date information for staff. People were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff had undertaken safeguarding training and felt confident to raise any concerns they had.

Staff had undertaken medication training and had their competency regularly assessed. Medication policies and procedures, along with best practice guidance was available for staff to follow. Medication administration records (MARs) were fully completed and regularly reviewed to ensure people received their medicines safely. Staff had completed infection control training and had access to personal protective equipment (PPE). An infection control policy and procedure was in place.

People spoke positively about the staff that supported them and the management team. People told us their privacy and dignity was respected and their independence was promoted. People told us their views were regularly sought regarding the staff and the care they received.

The registered provider complied with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Staff understood and respected people’s right to make their own decisions where possible, and encouraged people to make decisions about the care they received. Consent had been sought before any care had been delivered in line with legal requirements.

Rating at last inspection: Requires Improvement (Report published March 2018).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating of the last inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor all intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at

www.cqc.org.uk

The inspection took place on 29 January 2018 and was unannounced. The service was rated Good at the last inspection in October 2015

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 16 people.

The service had 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.

At this inspection we found a breach of Regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This was because the service did not ensure that they sourced adequate information about the people whom they employed prior to them commencing work.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this report.

We spoke with three people who used the service and two relatives who all gave positive feedback about the service and the staff who worked in it.

Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed training had been provided to enable them to support people with their specific needs. We found staff were knowledgeable about the support needs of the people that used the service. The registered manager needed to improve how the training information was recorded.

The staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions. We saw that people were supported to make their own decisions and their choices were respected. However, we did note that improvements were needed as to how this information was recorded.

Care plans were person centred and developed with the people who used the service. They detailed how people wished and needed to be cared for. They were regularly reviewed and updated as required.

We carried out an announced inspection of Hannah’s Homecare Ltd on 15 October 2015 and contacted relatives of people receiving care services from the agency on 16 & 20 October 2015. It is with relatives’ consent we have included their comments in this report.

Hannah’s Homecare Ltd registered with the Care Quality Commission in November 2014 however it did not begin to operate until March 2015. This was our first inspection of the agency.

The agency provides care and support to people living in their own homes. The agency can also provide live in positions and a night sitting service. On the day of our inspection eight people were receiving support from Hannah’s Homecare Ltd.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

We found there were sufficient staff available to meet people’s needs and that safe and effective recruitment practices were followed.

Staff received suitable induction and training to meet the needs of the people who used the agency. Their work was overseen by the registered manager, but they did not receive any formal individual supervision or appraisal. The registered manager said she would implement this.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the agency and were attentive to their needs.

Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and interacted with people in a caring, respectful and professional manner. Relatives told us, “They always show interest in what she has been doing”, “They are just fabulous” and “They don’t rush mum, they always talk to her to tell her what is happening and ask if it’s ok”.

Before people started to use the services of Hannah’s Homecare Ltd their needs were assessed to see if the agency could meet them.

Individual risk assessments were completed for people who used the service, including assessment of any environmental risks and staff were provided with information as to how to manage risks.

We saw that the agency had a complaints procedure and relatives confirmed that they knew how and to whom they could complain.

Relatives and staff told us that the registered manager was approachable.