Archived: CRG Homecare - Rotherham

Updated 5 October 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:

The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector

Service and service type:

CRG Homecare – Rotheham is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. The vast majority of people supported by the service were assisted with personal care tasks.

The service did not have manager registered with the Care Quality Commission, although the new manager had submitted an application to register at the time of the inspection. A “registered manager” 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 short notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that the management team would be available

Inspection activity started on 19 August 2019 and ended on 30 August 2019. We visited the office location on 28 August 2019 to see the management team and to review care records and policies and procedures, and from 22 August to 30 August we carried out telephone interviews of staff and people using the service.

What we did before the inspection:

We reviewed notifications we received from the service and reviewed information we received prior to the inspection from people using the service, their relatives and care staff.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We gained feedback from the local authority who commission services from the provider

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection:

We looked at five people’s care records. Records of accidents, incidents and complaints. We checked records relating to the management of the service and spoke with seven people using the service, five members of staff and four members of the management team.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, policies and procedures, information relating to personnel management and quality assurance records.

Updated 5 October 2019

About the service:

CRG Homecare - Rotherham is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. 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. At the time of this inspection it was providing services to around 70 people.

People’s experience of using this service:

We found that people received a good service although some improvements were required in relation to governance. The provider ensured care was delivered in a safe way, and had systems in place to monitor the care provided. Most of the people with whom we spoke praised the staff.

People told us they felt the staff were caring and they told us they got on well with staff. They all described their relationship with staff as positive, and most told us they received care from a consistent staff team. They said with the exception of sickness and holidays the provider was usually able to ensure that people received care from a small, consistent staff team, and the provider’s records confirmed this . One person said: “They’re all very good, they know what they’re doing and I wouldn’t be without them.”

Staff received training which was relevant to their roles. Staff we spoke with told us the training was plentiful and supported them in their work. One staff member said: “The training is really good, I felt like I knew what I was doing after the induction, [the trainer] really went into things for us.”

People’s needs and risks to their safety were assessed, and detailed plans of care drawn up. People told us they felt safe when receiving care, and staff told us they understood what to do if they suspected people were experiencing abuse. A complaints procedure was in place, although for a period of time prior to the inspection complaints had not been investigated in line with the provider’s policy.”

People were supported in maintaining good health, and staff liaised with external healthcare providers where appropriate to ensure that care was provided in a way that met people’s needs.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of care provided, however, the audit systems had not identified some shortfalls in service management prior to the inspection. People were predominantly positive about the care provider and management team and said they valued the service they received. One person said: “I don’t know where I’d be without them.”

More information is in the full report

Rating at last inspection:

The rating at the last inspection was Requires Improvement. The report was published in August 2018

Why we inspected:

This was a scheduled inspection based on the last rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.