Harmony Homecare Suffolk is a domiciliary care service providing care to people in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive a regulated activity of personal care. At the time of the assessment, Harmony Homecare Suffolk covered geographical areas in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk and provided a service to 82 people of which 81 people received personal care. We looked at 6 quality statements in the key questions of safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. We carried out an announced visit to the service on 16 May 2024. There were enough staff to meet people's needs. Robust and safe recruitment practices were in place. Staff were knowledgeable about the needs of the people they cared for. People’s care plans and risk assessments provided relevant information to ensure people’s needs were met safely and reflected their involvement. Where we found some inconsistencies, such as duplication or details missing, we were assured by the planned improvements the provider was implementing to their records and processes. Not all risks had been fully assessed to ensure robust systems were in place for relatives and couples working together. The provider took immediate action during the assessment to rectify the concerns we identified, to strengthen their procedures. There had been several management changes within the service that had at times impacted on the quality of the service provided. At the time of the assessment the provider was addressing these issues through active recruitment, restructure and delegation of roles and responsibilities.
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Harmony Homecare Suffolk received an overall Good rating at its first inspection, with people and relatives describing person-centred, compassionate care from a safely recruited and trained staff team. Minor issues were identified around rota changes, communication of those changes, language barriers and inconsistent following of some safety measures, all of which management were actively addressing.
Concerns (7)
minorMissed or late visits: “there was some mixed feedback where amendments had occurred to the rota people had been given, including change in times, different care staff and the frequency of this”
minorCommunication with families: “I don't always get told of the changes and that is unsettling and disruptive.”
minorStaffing levels: “some staff said this was not always the case and at times they had felt rushed and under pressure.”
minorCommunication with families: “English was not the first language for the majority of care staff and we received feedback that language could sometimes be a barrier.”
minorCare planning: “inconsistencies with care staff not always following the safety measures in place, such as ensuring wheelchair locks were on, electrical equipment being turned off”
minorMissed or late visits: “Since 2020 there had been four missed visits. Records showed management investigated this, took appropriate action and carried out a review of lessons learnt”
minorComplaints handling: “we were made aware of a quality care issue that had not been reported to management. We fed this back to the management to take appropriate action.”
Strengths
· Safely recruited staff team with relevant training and qualifications, including DBS checks and references
· Person-centred care plans developed with people and relatives reflecting preferences and what mattered to them
· Safe medicines management with trained, competency-checked staff and regular audits
· Good infection prevention and control practices including appropriate PPE use and COVID-19 testing
· Staff treated people with dignity, kindness, compassion and respect, supporting independence
Quality-Statement breakdown (19)
safe: Staffing and recruitmentNot rated
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and management; Learning lessons when things go wrongNot rated
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseNot rated
safe: Using medicines safelyNot rated
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionNot rated
effective: Assessing people's needs and choices; delivering care in line with standards, guidance and the lawNot rated
effective: Staff support: induction, training, skills and experienceNot rated
effective: Supporting people to eat and drink enough; access to healthcare; working with other agenciesNot rated
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceNot rated
caring: Ensuring people are well treated and supported; respecting equality and diversityNot rated
caring: Supporting people to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their careNot rated
caring: Respecting and promoting people's privacy, dignity and independenceNot rated
responsive: Planning personalised care to ensure people have choice and control and to meet their needs and preferencesNot rated
responsive: Meeting people's communication needsNot rated
responsive: Improving care quality in response to complaints or concernsNot rated
responsive: End of life care and supportNot rated
well-led: Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empoweringNot rated
well-led: Managers and staff being clear about their roles; quality performance, risks and regulatory requirements; duty of candourNot rated
well-led: Continuous learning and improving care; Working in partnership with othersNot rated