Shepshed Carers Limited

Updated 18 December 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

One inspector and an expert by experience carried out the inspection. 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

Shepshed Carers Limited 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 we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included the provider's statement of purpose and the notifications we had been sent. A statement of purpose is a document which includes a standard required set of information about a service. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that providers must tell us about. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 10 people using the service and eight people’s relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, two care co-ordinators, and three care workers.

We looked at records relating to all aspects of the home including staffing, medicines, accidents and incidents, and quality assurance. We also looked at two people's care records.

Updated 18 December 2019

About the service

Shepshed Carers Limited provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The service has an office in the centre of Shepshed with ground level access. At the time of our inspection 89 people were using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and relatives said the service provided high-quality care and they would recommend it to others. The care was personalised, and people were consulted on how they wanted their care needs met. A person said, “They [the staff] support me to keep as independent as possible. They are very good and caring people.”

Staff understood where people were at risk and put measures in place to prevent them coming to harm. A person said, “They are very respectful to both me and my property. I feel safe and comfortable with them.”

The service was well-staffed, and staff were responsive to people’s needs. Staff were well-trained and knowledgeable about the people they supported, taking an interest in their life histories, previous occupations, and hobbies. People said staff brightened their day. A person said, “They lift my spirits. I can be low sometimes, so I look forward to them coming. We have a laugh together.”

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 supported people with their communication needs and took their time providing care. A person said, “I have some conversation problems, but the staff give me time and always make sure I am ready and in charge of what is happening.” A relative said, “The staff are really good at telling [person] what they are doing and never rush them.”

The registered manager made improvements to the service where necessary and carried out regular audits to ensure people continued to receive a high standard of care. They listened to people, relatives and staff and acted on their comments and suggestions.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (based on an inspection on 14 March 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.