Pats Care Ltd

Updated 7 June 2019

The inspection: 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.

Inspection team: A single inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type: Pats Care LTD is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care and support to adults and older people with varying needs living within 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: The inspection site visit took place on 25 April 2019 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to ensure that someone was present in the office.

What we did: Before the inspection we reviewed the information, we held about the service. This included details about incidents the provider must tell us about, such as any safeguarding alerts they had raised. The provider also completed a provider information return. This 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. We contacted the local authority who commissions the service and asked them for their views about the service. We used this information to help inform our inspection planning.

During the inspection visit we met and spoke with the director, registered manager, office staff and two care staff. Following our visit, we spoke with two care workers and four people using the service and or their relatives by telephone to seek their feedback about the service. We reviewed a range of records including four people’s care plans and records and three staff recruitment and training records. We also reviewed records used in managing the service for example, policies and procedures, monitoring records and minutes of meetings.

Updated 7 June 2019

About the service: Pats Care LTD is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care and support to adults and older people living within their own homes. Not everyone using the service may receive the regulated activity; personal care. 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. At the time of our inspection there were ten people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People and their relatives spoke positively about the service.

The service had safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures and how to keep people safe. People's needs, and preferences were assessed, and plans were in place to manage risks safely.

There were safe arrangements in place to manage medicines and staff received appropriate medicines and infection control training.

Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work and there were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. Staff had appropriate skills and knowledge to support people safely and were supported through induction, training and supervision.

People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet that met their cultural needs where this was part of their plan of care. People were supported to have maximum choice and control and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People and their relatives told us they were fully involved in and consulted about their care and support needs. People were supported to access health and social care professionals when required. People were supported to access community services where this was part of their plan of care.

Staff worked with people to promote their rights and understood the Equality Act 2010 supporting people appropriately addressing any protected characteristics.

There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service. The service worked in partnership with health and social care professionals and other organisations to plan and deliver an effective service.

People knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy with the service. The service took people, their relatives and staff’s views into account through surveys and informal feedback to help drive service improvements.

Rating at last inspection: At our last inspection of the service on 11 September 2018 we did not rate the service. This was because there was insufficient evidence to make a judgement and award a rating.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection in line with CQC regulations. We found the service met the characteristics of Good in all areas.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit in line with our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect the service sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the website at www.cqc.org.uk