Updated 16 August 2019
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience (EXE) is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The EXE made telephone calls to people and their relatives
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 18 July June 2019 and ended on 22 July 2019. We visited the office location on 18 and 19 July 2019 and reviewed information received from staff on 22 July 2019.
What we did before the inspection
Prior to the inspection we requested and received a Provider Information Return (PIR). We used the information the provider sent us in the PIR. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.
We reviewed information we held about the service since the last inspection and what people had told us. We contacted local authority safeguarding teams. We used all of this information to plan our inspection
During the inspection
The EXE spoke with 10 people and three relatives on the phone to gain their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the, registered manager and three supervisors.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records in full and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We sought feedback from care staff and received replies from seven staff members.