Integrated inspection of care at home services: Test of change

We undertook an integrated inspection of care at home services in the Falkirk health and social care partnership (HSCP) area.

This work involved combining and integrating strategic and regulatory approaches to inspection. It helped identify how commissioning processes in the Falkirk HSCP area were supporting positive outcomes for people who experience care and their carers. This reflects our role in ensuring the quality of care in Scotland meets high standards. We are evaluating the test of change approach, to determine future work.

We incorporated evidence collected and the findings from planned regulatory inspections of relevant care at home services. As part of the test of change all inspected regulated care at home services across Scotland were asked to contribute by responding to a set of standard questions relating to commissioning arrangements. The test of change considered the following question: 

‘How effectively were Falkirk HSCP’s commissioning arrangements contributing to good outcomes for people and carers through care at home services?’

The key elements of the test of change were:

• gathering information on the HSCP’s care at home activities from a number of sources. These included performance data from the HSCP, the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland.

• asking the HSCP to provide us with a self-evaluation or ‘position statement’ on how it viewed its own performance along with supporting documents.

• conducting electronic surveys relating to the HSCP’s activity. Respondents included HSCP’s managers and staff; managers and staff working for care at home service provider organisations.

• including questions relating to commissioning in our regulatory inspections of care at home service providers in the HSCP area.

• asking all inspected regulated care at home services across Scotland to respond to a set of standard questions relating to commissioning arrangements.

• reading a sample of social work/social care records of people receiving support from the HSCP directly and from the HSCP through externally commissioned care at home service providers.

• speaking with some people experiencing care at home services about their experience of the HSCP’s services.

• undertaking interviews and focus groups with managers and staff working for care at home service provider organisations in the HSCP area.

• undertaking interviews and focus groups with managers and staff working for the HSCP.

If you have any questions or need clarification about the test of change, please contact the inspection team.