Diverse Care Services

Updated 13 May 2023

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 carried out by 2 inspectors, an assistant inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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.

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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 96 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 13 March 2023 and ended on 21 March 2023. We visited the location’s office location on 14 March 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We sought feedback from partner agencies. We used information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 28 November 2022. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 11 people using the service and 7 relatives. We spoke with 8 staff members including the nominated individual, registered manager, and care workers. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We looked at 6 people’s care records including medication records. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Updated 13 May 2023

About the service

Diverse Care Services is a domiciliary care agency. The service provides personal care to children, younger adults and older people. It supports people with physical disabilities, sensory impairment, mental health needs and those living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 64 people using the service.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. In this service, the Care Quality Commission can only inspect the service received by people who get support with personal care. This includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people receive such support, we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

Risk assessments did not always provide staff with clear guidance. However, staff were aware of the risks to people and how to manage these. There were quality assurance systems and processes in place; however, minor improvements were needed in this area to ensure audits identified areas of improvement.

There were effective systems and processes in place to investigate incidents and accidents and the relevant notifications were submitted to CQC as well as other agencies if needed.

There were systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. People and their relatives told us they felt safe.

People received support from staff to take their medication safely. The provider ensured staff were trained and competent before administering medication.

Staff received infection control training and knew how to prevent the spread of infection. The provider ensured there were adequate supplies of personal protective equipment. Staff were recruited safely.

People were supported well by staff and were treated with kindness. People and their relatives spoke highly of staff.

There were systems and processes in place to ensure people and their relatives were involved in their care planning. People had signed their care documents to say they agreed with them.

Staff promoted people’s dignity and privacy. People and relatives told us staff supported them to keep their independence as much as possible. People felt they could express their views and be involved in the decision-making process.

People and relatives spoke highly about the management team. The provider sought feedback from people who used the service.

Regular staff meetings took place. Staff told us they felt supported by the management team.

Staff worked in partnership with relatives and external health care professionals to ensure people received a joined-up approach to their care.

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 (published 28 June 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We received concerns in relation to calls cramming, short calls and missed calls and shortfalls in the quality of care provided. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, caring, and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.