We carried out a review of the data available to us about VJ Carers Limited on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about VJ Carers Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
VJ Carers Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service supports older people, people living with dementia and people with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to 54 people.
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 were protected from the risk of harm. Care documents contained risk assessments which were clear and included specific guidance for staff on how to prevent people experiencing harm. There were enough, suitable staff to provide personalised, safe care to people. Medicines were managed safely. Staff observed infection control practices when delivering care and support. Staff reflected on practice to make improvements to care and support.
People's needs and choices were assessed effectively by skilled staff. People were supported to have a healthy diet and were protected from the risk of malnutrition and dehydration. Staff work effectively with professionals from health and social care to promote people's health and wellbeing.
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.
The registered manager and staff team were dedicated to delivering person-centred, compassionate care which promoted people's dignity and independence. The registered manager had implemented clear auditing and governance systems which ensured staff responsibilities were clear and identified actions were completed. Staff and the people they supported were involved in how the service was run and their feedback was encouraged and valued. Staff demonstrated a culture of learning and continuous improvement and worked collaboratively with other professionals to meet people's needs.
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 this service was requires improvement (published 6 April 2021) and there were two breaches of regulations. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach the regulations.
Why we inspected
We carried out an announced, comprehensive inspection of this service on 8 February 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when, to comply with the regulations for safe care and treatment and good governance.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions of safe and well-led, which cover those requirements.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for VJ Carers Limited on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
VJ Carers Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service supports older people, people living with dementia and people with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to 53 people.
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
Risks to people were assessed and documented in their care plans. However, risk assessments did not always contain specific, clear guidance for staff about how to protect people from identified risks.
The registered manager used systems to manage medicines. However, people’s medicines administration records (MARs) were not always fully completed. The registered manager's audits had not identified this.
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.
The registered manager had systems and processes in place to monitor quality and safety in the service however, these systems were not always effective.
Staff understood their responsibilities to protect people from harm and knew how to raise safeguarding concerns. The registered manager had completed the necessary safe recruitment checks to ensure suitable staff were employed.
There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and provide safe care. People told us they felt safe with staff and that they were well trained. People were protected from the risk of getting infections by staff who had completed training in infection prevention and control.
Staff worked with health and social care professionals to help meet people's needs. Staff contacted relevant healthcare professionals, with people's consent, when healthcare needs were identified.
People were cared for by staff who felt well supported by their manager and colleagues. People told us there was an approachable staff team who invited and encouraged feedback on possible improvements to the service. People and their relatives felt the registered manager and staff responded quickly to their needs and communicated effectively.
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 this service was requires improvement (published 5 December 2019) and there were multiple breaches of regulations. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection some improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of two of the regulations. However, the provider was still in breach of two regulations. The service remains rated requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.
Why we inspected
We carried out an announced, comprehensive inspection of this service on 5 December 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when, to comply with the regulations for safe care and treatment, good governance, notifications of other iIncidents and fit and proper persons employed.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements . This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions of safe, effective and well-led, which cover those requirements.
We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has remained the same. This is based on the findings at this inspection. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement. Please see the safe, effective and well-led sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for VJ Carers Limited on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service.
We have identified continued breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
Follow up
We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
VJ Carers Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service supports older people, people living with dementia and people with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to 39 people.
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
Risks to people were not always appropriately assessed or action taken to mitigate identified risks. Where an incident had taken place, action had not been taken to prevent recurrence. Staff failed to seek medical attention in a timely way when a person had burnt themselves. Staff had failed to seek medical attention when a person was reporting pain.
The registered manager undertook a series of audits, however, these were not always robust or effective. Records were not always accurate or legible. People’s care records did not always provide sufficient guidance on how staff should be meeting specific health conditions.
The provider failed to notify us of allegations of abuse ‘without delay’.
People told us they received their medicines safely. However, we found that people did not have appropriate guidance in place for ‘as required’ medicines. Where one person’s medicine administration record showed gaps it was unclear whether the person had received their medicine as prescribed and the registered manager had failed to identify these gaps. Staff competency in medicines had been recorded as completed, however, the records did not demonstrate what areas of competency had been reviewed for each staff member. We have made a recommendation that the registered provider seeks guidance on the proper and safe management of medicines, including ensuring staff competency is reviewed and recorded in a robust way.
There were enough suitable staff to meet people's needs and provide safe care. The provider had undertaken criminal records checks on all staff and obtained a full employment history. However, we found that not all checks had been undertaken to ensure staff employed were suitable.
Staff understood their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents or allegations of abuse. They felt confident issues would be addressed appropriately. People and their relatives knew how to complain and knew the process to follow if they had concerns. People, relatives and staff felt they could approach management with any concerns they may have.
People were treated with care and kindness. They thought highly of the staff and praised their caring, thoughtfulness and their willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty for them. People felt the service they received respected their privacy and dignity and helped them to maintain their independence where possible.
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.
People benefitted from staff who were happy in their work and felt well managed and supported. People benefitted from a service which had an open and inclusive culture and encouraged suggestions and ideas for improvement from people who use the service, their relatives and staff.
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 (report published 20 May 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Enforcement
We have identified breaches in relation to Safe care and treatment, Good Governance, Fit and proper persons employed and Notifications of other incidents.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
At the previous inspection in April 2016 we found the provider had not acted in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated code of practice. This was a breach of Regulation 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) regulations 2014.
At this inspection we found that the service had made improvements to address the areas of concern and bring the service up to the required standards. The registered manager and staff understood the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and applied its principles in their work. The MCA protects the rights of people who may not be able to make particular decisions themselves.
The service had 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.
People told us they were safe. Staff understood their responsibilities to identify and report all concerns in relation to safeguarding people from abuse. Staff had completed safeguarding training. The service had robust recruitment procedures and conducted background checks to ensure staff were suitable for their role.
Where risks to people had been identified risk assessments were in place and action had been taken to manage the risks. Staff were aware of people's needs and followed guidance to keep them safe. People received their medicines as prescribed. Records confirmed where people needed support with their medicines, they were supported by staff that had been appropriately trained.
People were supported by staff who had the skills and training to carry out their roles and responsibilities. People benefitted from caring relationships with the staff who had a caring approach to their work.
Staff spoke positively about the support they received from the registered manager. Staff had access to effective supervision.
The service sought people's views and opinions and acted upon them. People and their relatives told us they were confident they would be listened to and action would be taken if they raised a concern.
Staff and the registered manager shared the visions and values of the service. The service had systems to assess the quality of the service provided. Learning from audits took place which promoted people's safety and quality of life.
People were supported to maintain good health. Various health professionals were involved in assessing, planning and evaluating people's care and treatment.
VJ Carers is a domiciliary care service registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection here were 23 people using the service.
The service had a registered manager who was responsible for overall management of the service and worked closely with the provider. 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.
The provider, registered manager and staff were not clear about their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff had not received training in MCA and care plans did not reflect the principles of the MCA.
The service had a person centred culture which was promoted by the provider and registered manager. The provider and registered manager were approachable and were responsive to any issues raised. People were not always aware of the complaints policy but were confident that any concerns raised would be dealt with promptly.
People and relatives were complimentary about the caring approach of staff and appreciated being supported by regular care staff which enabled them to build meaningful relationships. People received visits on time and staff always stayed for the required length of time.
People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff were kind and caring and knew people well. People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were well supported by the management team and felt valued.
Care plans detailed how people's needs would be met. Where risks were identified, care plans did not always contain details of how risks would be managed.
There were systems to audit the quality of the service, however there was no system in place to enable trends and patterns of any issues to be identified in order to improve the service overall.
We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.