Archived: Insta Care Ltd

Updated 12 July 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This was a comprehensive inspection which took place on 13 June 2017. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available.

The inspection visit was conducted by one inspector. As part of the inspection we contacted people who used and worked at the service for their feedback by telephone. Some of these telephone calls were made by 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. The expert-by-experience supporting this inspection had personal experience of caring for a relative.

Before the inspection we looked at all the information we held about the provider. This included the last inspection report and notifications of incidents, accidents and safeguarding alerts. The registered manager had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR) in May 2017. The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with one person who used the service and 12 relatives of other people who used the service by telephone. We also had email or telephone feedback from four care workers. We met the nominated individual (provider), registered manager and the administrator during our visit to the agency offices. We looked at the care records for six people who used the service and the staff recruitment and support records for seven members of staff. We looked at evidence of training for all of the staff. We also saw other records the provider used for monitoring the quality of the service which included audits and quality checks.

Updated 12 July 2017

The inspection visit took place on 13 June 2017.

Insta Care Ltd is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. People using the service lived in the London boroughs of Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames. Their care was organised and funded by the local authorities or the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). At the time of our inspection 23 people were using the service. People using the service had complex and multiple needs and the registered manager told us they specialised in this type of support, with the majority of people requiring between three and four care visits each day. The majority of care visits were carried out by two care workers. Some people were living with the experience of dementia and some were being cared for at the end of their lives. Insta Care Ltd is a privately owned agency with one branch based in Hounslow. The owner of the company, who was registered as the nominated individual, was involved in the day to day management of the service. There was also a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection of 9 February 2016 we rated the service Good. At this inspection of 13 June 2017 the service remains Good.

People felt they received a good service. One person told us, ''They are all fantastic and do a great job.'' People liked their care workers and felt they were kind, caring and polite. They told us their needs were met and the way in which they were cared for reflected their preferences. People were involved in planning and reviewing their own care. The majority of care visits took place at the right time and the agency had contingency plans for emergency situations or events which affected the normal plan of visits.

People felt safe. The risks they were exposed to had been assessed and there was guidance for staff on keeping each person safe. There were enough staff and they were suitably recruited and trained. The staff received the information they needed to care for people and demonstrated a good knowledge of people's needs.

The agency was appropriately managed and there were systems to gain and respond to feedback from people who used the service and other stakeholders. Records were up to date and appropriately maintained. The staff worked closely with other professionals to make sure people's needs were being met.