# Options Health Care Services

*Operated by Options Health Care Services Limited.*

Options Health Care Services is a CQC-regulated home-care agency in Stevenage.

## CQC Ratings

| Key question | Rating |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | Requires improvement |
| Safe | Requires improvement |
| Effective | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Requires improvement |
| Well-led | Requires improvement |

Rating published: 26/07/2019

## Practical info

- Postcode: SG1 2NG
- Registered manager: Tafon, Queenta
- Local authority: Hertfordshire
- Region: East
- City: Stevenage
- Last CQC check: 24/Feb/2023 - 00:00

## Inspection findings

### Other

- Finding
  - Evidence: The service worked in partnership with local authorities, health teams, and a local training provider to support improvement.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Evidence: Notifiable incidents required to be reported to CQC were now being made, resolving a previous breach.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Evidence: The provider responded immediately during and after the inspection, organising training and reassessing people's health needs.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Evidence: The registered manager was accessible and responsive; people felt involved and informed.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Evidence: Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse and how to report concerns internally and externally.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Evidence: People felt safe with the care provided and spoke positively about long-standing staff, describing them as like family.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Evidence: People received their medicines as prescribed and regular audits were carried out to ensure safe management of medicines.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- **communication_with_families** _(minor)_
  - Evidence: Changes within the staffing structure meant people and relatives found communication from the office was variable.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- **supervision_appraisal** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: Staff meetings did not discuss staff views, suggestions or ideas, or review accidents or incidents, complaints, or share feedback from quality audits.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- **infection_control** _(minor)_
  - Evidence: People told us that staff did not always wear their masks when providing personal care to people which was their preference and they needed to remind staff.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- **record_keeping** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: Care plans and risk assessments required further information to ensure these were complete...oversight and monitoring systems had not identified a lack of risk assessment or care plan.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- **incident_learning** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: Analysis of themes, trends or patterns were not assessed. Staff were not always informed of the outcome from these incidents to enable them to reflect on their practise.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- **governance** _(critical)_
  - Evidence: The lack of effective monitoring and oversight of the service was a breach of Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- **missed_or_late_visits** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: Call records confirmed that staff could be in excess of an hour late and arrived earlier than the agreed times.
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- **care_planning** _(moderate)_
  - Evidence: People did not always have completed risk assessments following a review of people's care needs. For example, where people were at risk of skin breakdown or had experienced a seizure.
  - Published: 2023-04-12

### safe

- Finding
  - Preventing and controlling infection
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Using medicines safely
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuse
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Staffing and recruitment
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Assessing risk, safety monitoring and management
  - Published: 2023-04-12

### well_led

- Finding
  - Working in partnership with others
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empowering
  - Published: 2023-04-12
- Finding
  - Managers and staff being clear about their roles and understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirements
  - Published: 2023-04-12

## Source

Data published by the [Care Quality Commission](https://www.cqc.org.uk/) under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Canonical page: https://homecarecompass.co.uk/agency/1-2047021873

HomeCare Compass is an independent guide and is not affiliated with the CQC.