Surviving Start-up
This week I'm covering one of the biggest areas of concern that potential franchise partners (and their families) have when considering a start-up: ‘Can I take enough money out of the business to cover my own living costs?’
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I was talking recently to Zoe Kelly, our Head of Quality and Compliance about what’s asked by CQC before they register a new homecare provider. She sent me an 11-page document which collates all the questions we’ve been asked by inspectors when setting up in a new location.
11 pages might be a bit much to share here, so here’s five questions CQC could well ask, with some very condensed notes on what to consider in your answer:
1: How will you have oversight, monitor and assess the quality of the service? Think audits, regular meetings, external support from the franchisor, feedback gathering, NPSs, KPIs etc.
2: How will safety concerns, incidents and near misses be learned from to improve the service? Knowing your Accident and Incident policy and procedure is key, as well as understanding risk assessments and action planning, and the role of training of both your care professionals and office teams has on safety.
3: Give me an example of how the service will develop the skills and independence of a client? This question is around the provider’s understanding of how to provide a service that enhances a client’s independence, rather than taking away their daily skills by doing everything for them.
4: How will you ensure care and support is carried out with dignity, respect and compassion? There are some layers to this question, from the practical (making sure windows, doors and curtains are closed when providing personal care, for example), to systems, such as training of care pros and how we monitor the care we provide.
5; What will be in place to ensure staff seek accessible ways to communicate with clients when necessary? Consider large print, braille, audio, translation of documents into other languages, use of whiteboards, etc, depending on clients’ needs.
As part of our support we offer support with the registration process, including training, mentoring, mock interviews, and moral support on the day. Your RM should know a lot of these answers already, but we’ll also be double-checking their understanding and ensuring they understand GoodOaks’ procedures before the interview.
Do you have any specific burning questions about CQC registration or homecare start-up? Just get in touch, and I’ll do my best to answer it.
Best wishes, Ben.