RA Care Services Limited

Updated 26 March 2024

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 team consisted of 3 inspectors.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post. The registered manager was also the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 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.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and a care staff. We looked at a range of management records including quality audits, policies, staff supervision and training. We reviewed a person’s care record including risk assessments and 3 staff recruitment records. After the office visit, we spoke with a relative and two care staff. The registered manager sent us documentation we asked for and clarified any queries we had.

Updated 26 March 2024

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

About the service

RA Care Services Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to adults. At the time of this inspection 1 person was receiving a personal care service. 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 the service and what we found:

Right Support

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 were encouraged to make choices and decisions in relation to the care they received.

People’s risks were assessed in a person-centred way. Care plans and risk assessments were regularly reviewed and involved relatives as appropriate. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection.

Right Care

People’s needs were assessed before they began to use the service to ensure the provider could meet those needs. People had personalised care and support plans which included physical and mental health needs. Care plans documented people’s communication, cultural and spiritual needs. Where appropriate, people were supported with activities of their choice and to engage with their community.

A relative confirmed they were included in decision making about their relative’s care. People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. Staff supported people to maintain their health and worked jointly with healthcare professionals to improve outcomes for people.

Right Culture

Management were available for relatives and staff to make contact with at any time. A relative and staff confirmed they would be able to raise concerns to enable improvements to be made to the service. Relatives were asked by the provider about their opinions of the service.

Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. People were protected from abuse and poor care. The provider supported staff with training and supervision. Training included learning disability and autism so care could be provided effectively.

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 3 November 2018).

At the last inspection, we made a recommendation in relation to ensuring consent was obtained in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). At this inspection we found the provider had acted on this and had made improvements.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. The provider had relocated and we received concerns about record keeping and staff training. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

Follow Up

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