Background to this inspection
Updated
31 May 2022
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The inspection was completed by two inspectors and an Expert by Experience in the care of older people, who made telephone calls to people to gain their views about the service. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
Registered Manager
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post. The registered manager was also the services nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure relevant staff would be available to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 6 May 2022 and ended on 16 May 2022. We visited the location’s office on 6 May 2022.
What we did before the inspection
Before the inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service, including registration reports, previous inspection report and notifications. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 11 people (or their family members) about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the nominated individual/registered manager, operations manager, five office staff members and five care team members.
We received feedback from two external social care professionals. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care records, five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including, training, quality monitoring, policies and procedures were also reviewed.
Updated
31 May 2022
About the service
Portsmouth is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care for people who require this due to old age, illness or disability. At the time of the inspection the agency was providing care for 120 people living in Portsmouth and surrounding areas of Hampshire.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt they were cared for with kindness and compassion. They benefitted from a management and staff team who were committed to ensuring they received a service which was caring. We received positive feedback from people or their family members about the service they were receiving.
People told us they felt safe and secure when receiving care. People were supported to meet their nutritional and hydration needs, medicines were safely managed and staff contacted healthcare professionals when required. Staff followed all necessary infection prevention measures.
Care plans reflected people's individual needs and choices which staff were aware of and responsive to. People's risk assessments and risks relating to their home environment were completed and helped reduce risks to people while maintaining their independence.
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. Staff understood consent and were clear that people had the right to make their own choices.
Safe recruitment practices were followed and appropriate checks were undertaken, which helped make sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in their own homes. There were enough care staff to maintain the schedule of visits. Staff told us they felt supported, received regular supervision and training.
People and staff were confident to contact the office or management team and felt they would be listened to and any necessary action taken should the need arise.
There was a strong management structure with clearly defined roles. A range of audits and quality monitoring processes were in place and the management team sought feedback from people through the use of reviews and surveys.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for the service at the previous premises was Good, published on 27 September 2019.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date the service moved to its new premises and length of time since their last inspection at their previous premises.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.