HW Homecare

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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.

We found areas for improvement regarding staff knowledge and training. Staff were not adequately supported in their roles. There was minimal staff supervision and checks to ensure training had been effective.

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. However, we found staff did not always understand their legal responsibilities regarding documentation under the mental capacity act.

People's care documentation was not person-centred nor reflective of their current support needs. Where risks had been identified to people's health and wellbeing, assessments had not consistently been completed to detail support needs or when to seek further professional advice. There was a lack of oversight on incidents, complaints, training, medicines and safeguarding which meant the provider had not reflected on themes and trends. We also found that the provider had not always reported incidents to us that they were legally required to do.

The culture of the service was not always open and positive. Some feedback included unprofessional behaviour from staff, with reluctance to raise concerns or confusion on who to complain to. People, their relatives and staff had not been asked to provide feedback about their experiences of care.

People had assessments of need completed before they received support and involvement from professionals when required. A professional gave positive feedback about how staff worked with them to

support a person.

Despite the concerns we found, a person and relatives were happy they received support from the same staff every day. The provider demonstrated a willingness to work with others and improve the service. The branch manager responded immediately to some areas of improvement during the inspection.