About the service: Idea Alliance Ltd (also known as Heritage Healthcare Tandridge) 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 providing support to five people, four of whom received the regulated activity personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

¿ People were protected against the risk of avoidable harm and abuse, as staff received on-going safeguarding training and knew how to identify, respond to and escalate suspected abuse. Risk management plans in place gave staff clear guidance on how to reduce risks.

¿ People received their medicines as intended by the prescribing Pharmacist. Medicines audits were carried out to ensure issues identified were acted on in a timely manner.

¿ People were protected against the risk of cross contamination as the provider had clear infection control measures in place.

¿ The registered manager deployed sufficient numbers of suitably vetted staff to keep people safe. Staff received on-going training to enhance their skills and experience. Staff reflected on their working practices through regular supervisions.

¿ People were supported to access sufficient amounts of food and drink that met their dietary needs and requirements. Where concerns were raised regarding people’s health needs, information was shared with their relatives and healthcare professionals to monitor and maintain their health.

¿ Staff members were knowledgeable about and adhered to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. People’s consent to care and treatment was sought and respected.

¿ People were treated equally and had their diversity respected. People and their relatives spoke positively about staff, describing them as caring and brilliant.

¿ People’s dependency levels were regularly monitored and support provided adjusted according to people’s needs. People’s privacy was respected and their dignity maintained.

¿ Care plans were person-centred and gave staff clear guidance on how people wished to be supported. People were encouraged to develop their care plans, which were regularly reviewed to reflect people’s changing needs. Changes to care plans were shared immediately with staff to ensure care and support was in line with people’s preferences.

¿ People told us they were aware of how to raise any concerns or complaints and that these would be addressed swiftly.

¿ At the time of the inspection, the service were not providing palliative care to people. However, the provider had procedures in place should end of life care support be required.

¿ The registered manager was aware of their roles and responsibility in relation to notifying the CQC of notifiable incidents.

¿ People spoke positively about the management of the service. The registered manager was a visible presence and approachable. The management structure in place enabled all staff to be accountable for their roles and responsibilities.

¿ People’s views were sought to drive improvements and develop the service. The registered manager encouraged and sought partnership working to drive improvements. The registered manager carried out regular audits to monitor the service and take swift action when issues were identified.

Rating at last inspection: This is the service’s first inspection since their registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 9 April 2018.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection in line with our inspection programme.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-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