Riseup Healthcare Ltd

Updated 12 March 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: One 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: Riseup Healthcare Ltd is a service providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection: We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available to speak with us.

What we did: Prior to the start of the inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse or serious injury and feedback from the public. We also sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. This helped us plan the inspection.

On the 10 and 11 January 2019 we spoke with 10 people who were using the service and two relatives. We visited the office location on 28 January 2019 to talk to the registered manager and office staff. Here we reviewed five people’s care records, three people’s medicine records, three staff records and discussed with the registered manager how they monitored the quality of care people received. We also reviewed in depth the times staff had visited four people for 14 days in January 2019. We gained feedback from four staff working for Riseup Healthcare Ltd for their views about the service and their training and support.

Updated 12 March 2019

About the service: Riseup Healthcare Ltd is a domiciliary care service. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

People’s experience of using this service: There were enough staff available to make sure people received their care visits. However, we received mixed views from people as to whether the care they received consistently met their needs and preferences. This was particularly in relation to the times they received their care visits.

The provider’s governance systems had been effective at monitoring the quality of care in some areas but not all, resulting in issues not always being identified and therefore improved where required.

People had been involved in the planning of their care and they told us they were encouraged to give their views about the quality of care they received. They gave us mixed feedback as to whether they felt these views had been fully listened to and consistently acted upon.

People told us they received care from staff who were kind and caring and who treated them compassion and respect. Most people told us they saw the same staff so they could get to know them well and build caring and trusting relationships with them. People’s independence was encouraged to help them remain at home for as long as possible.

The staff who provided people with care and support had in most cases been trained to do so safely. Their ability to provide people with safe care had been regularly monitored and assessed and they were supported to complete qualifications in health and social care.

Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm. Risks to people’s safety had been assessed and staff understood how to reduce these risks for the benefit of people using the service. Where people received help to take their medicines, this was done safely and appropriately.

People told us their consent had been obtained when required and records showed it had been received in line with the relevant legislation. Any incidents or accidents that had occurred had been learnt from to try to reduce them from re-occurring.

Where staff supported people to eat and drink, this was completed to meet people’s needs. People told us they received support to maintain their health when needed. Staff worked well with other professionals to ensure that people received the care they needed at the time they required it.

There was an open culture at the service. The management team and staff were approachable and people and staff told us they could contact them when they needed to.

Rating at last inspection: The rating at the last inspection was Requires Improvement (published October 2017) and remains the same at this inspection.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.