Archived: Gilder Care Ltd

Updated 20 September 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is 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 14 June 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours notice because the service provides support to people living in their own home. We needed to be sure that staff would be available at the office to speak with us and provide access to documentation.

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed information the provider had sent us including statutory notifications. These are made for serious incidents which the provider must inform us about.

The provider had sent us a Provider Information Return (PIR). A PIR is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During this inspection we spoke with four people using the service, three relatives, two members of staff, the provider, the care co-cordinator and an administration assistant.

We looked at four people’s support records to see if they reflected the care and support that was being provided. This also included individual medication administration records and three staff recruitment files.

We looked at other information related to the daily running of the service including quality assurance audits, staff training and the management of any complaints or concerns.

Following the inspection, we received a detailed overview of the training programme that was in place.

Updated 20 September 2018

Gilder Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care and support to people living in their own home. There were 35 people receiving support at the time of our inspection.

At our last inspection the service was rated as Good; on this inspection we found the service remained Good. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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.

At our last inspection we rated the outcome for safe as Requires Improvement due to some recruitment files not containing all required references. At this inspection we found that this had quickly been addressed and recruitment files contained the required pre employment checks, meeting current requirements.

People received safe care. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed before any support was provided. This was regularly reviewed to ensure people continued to be assisted in a safe manner.

The staff understood how to protect people from harm and how to report such any concerns. Some people received assistance with taking medicines and records were kept to ensure that this was undertaken safely and in line with current procedures.

There were safe recruitment procedures in place to ensure new staff were suitable to work with people.

Staff were supported and trained to ensure that they had the skills to support people effectively. When people needed assistance to eat and drink, the provider ensured that this was undertaken in the way the person preferred. People were able to make decisions about how they received their support and care. This ensured their health needs were met in personalised way.

The quality of care and support people received remained good. Care was planned and reviewed with people. The provider ensured that people’s choices were followed and clearly recorded on their support plan. People’s privacy and dignity was respected by the staff supporting them. People felt comfortable with the staff they knew and satisfied with the support they received.

The service remained responsive. The support plans reflected people’s individual needs and preferences. Clear descriptions of how people wished to be supported were set out in support plans, and this was reviewed.

People felt comfortable raising any issues or concerns directly with staff and there were arrangements in place to deal with any complaints. Information was being reviewed to ensure it this was accessible to all people who used the service.

The service remained well led. Staff felt supported by the registered manager. Regular quality checks were completed and people could comment on the quality of service provision. People and staff were encouraged to raise any views about the service to consider how improvements could be made should this be needed.