Archived: Care Cover 24/7

Care Cover 24/7 is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and companionship to

people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, 36 people received a service which included personal care from Care Cover 24/7. 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 safely supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been employed through the registered manager's safe recruitment processes. Staff received training on safeguarding and knew how to identify and report any concerns. Risks had been assessed and management plans put in place. Staff administered people's medicines as prescribed.

People's needs were assessed prior to their service starting. The registered manager assessed peoples’ needs and there was a clear dedication to providing high-quality person-centred care to people, to enable people to remain living in their own homes. Staff worked with healthcare professionals to make sure health needs were met. 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 and relatives thought staff were kind and caring. People's privacy and dignity were promoted and maintained by staff who recognised the importance of treating people respectfully. One person told us, “I am more than happy, we have had some bad times with other companies, but they have taken a huge black cloud off our head, some staff are outstanding, but all of them are good.”

People were involved in their care and were encouraged to share their views and preferences. People had personalised care plans which were regularly reviewed. People were encouraged to be independent, offered choices and their privacy and dignity was maintained. People and relatives were happy with the staff that supported them.

People, relatives and staff all felt able to approach the registered manager and were positive about their leadership style. Quality monitoring was in place and feedback was sought and used to make improvements to the service. There was a complaints policy in place which people and relatives were aware of. A relative told us, “It is the only care agency we have had where the staff speak highly of the management team.”

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 October 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

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

There was a registered manager in post. 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 were safe and supported by staff who knew how to recognise and report potential abuse. There were procedures in place for staff to follow when needed. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs and they had received relevant training and an induction which helped them to offer support to people. Risks to people were managed in a safe way and staff had the relevant information available to offer support to people. When needed, people were supported to receive their medicines safely. When supported with meals people were offered a choice.

People were treated in a kind and caring way and were encouraged to be independent. Privacy and dignity was also upheld. People knew how to complain and when complaints had been made the provider had responded to these in line with their policy. People had the opportunity to participate in leisure activities that they enjoyed. We found care was reviewed and people and their families were involved with this. When people needed access health professionals they were supported to do so.

Quality monitoring was completed by the provider to drive improvements within the home. Feedback was sought from people who used the service and this was used to make changes. Staff and people felt the service was managed and were given the opportunity to raise concerns. The provider understood their responsibilities around registration with us.