Archived: VictoriaDomCare

Updated 13 August 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 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 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 inspection took place on 21 July 2016 and was announced. 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 at the office. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection visit, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This 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. As part of our planning we reviewed the information in the PIR and found the PIR reflected the service provided. We reviewed the information we held about the service, which included statutory notifications. These notifications are changes, events or incidents that the registered provider must inform CQC about.

We contacted the local authority commissioners to find out their views of the service provided. These are people who contract care and support services paid for by the local authority. They had no concerns about the service that we were not already aware of.

During our visit we spoke with the provider (who was the owner), the provider’s wife (care manager) and a care co-ordinator. They all provided care and support to people on a regular basis. Following our inspection visit, we spoke with three care staff who sup[ported people. Following our inspection visit, we contacted people who used the service by telephone. We spoke with three people and a relative of a person who used the service, to obtain their experiences of the service they received.

We reviewed three people’s care plans to see how their care and support was planned and delivered. We checked whether staff had been recruited safely and were trained to deliver the care and support people required. We looked at other records related to people’s care and how the service operated including the service’s quality assurance audits and records of complaints.

Updated 13 August 2016

The inspection took place on 21 July 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides domiciliary care and we needed to be sure that someone would be at the office.

At the time of our inspection, the service was operating from the registered provider's address, not from the location address shown above. The provider told us they sent an application to change the location address following our last inspection in 2013; however we had no record in our system. The provider said they believed the changes would be made and had not followed this up. At this inspection, the provider told us they had found new premises and were in the process of submitting an application to change their address to ensure their registration with us was correct.

Victoria DomCare is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to older people who may have a physical disability or living with dementia. The agency provides personal care to people in their own homes. The agency provides care calls to people seven days a week, and calls vary from 15 minutes to 45 minutes duration. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people using the service.

This service was last inspected on 13 November 2013, when we found the provider was compliant with the essential standards described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

The provider for this service is a single owner. They do not require a registered manager as the provider undertakes all of the management tasks, as well as providing personal care to people they support.

Risk assessments and support plans had been developed with the involvement of people and family members. Staff had the relevant information on how to minimise identified risks. This ensured people were supported in a safe and caring way, however some care plans required improvements to ensure staff provided consistent care.

People received their medicines as prescribed and safe systems were in place to manage people’s medicines.

Recruitment procedures ensured suitable staff were employed to work with people who used the service. Staff told us they had received some training and an induction that had helped them to understand and support people better.

The provider understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), and care workers respected people’s decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care.

There were enough care workers to deliver the care and support people required. People had consistent care workers who stayed long enough to complete the care people required. People told us care workers were friendly and caring and had the right skills to provide the care and support they required.

People’s needs and preferences were met when care was provided, and people were supported to meet their individual dietary needs. People were encouraged to maintain good health and to access health care services as required.

People told us that staff respected their privacy and dignity, when providing personal care and support. People’s care was tailored to meet their individual needs.

The provider’s complaints policy and procedures were accessible to people who used the service and their representatives. People knew how to make a complaint, however people we spoke with had not needed to make any formal complaints.

Arrangements were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service, so that actions could be taken to drive improvement. However, records of actions taken, were not always recorded which made it difficult to evidence what improvements had been made.