Up 24 Seven Services Ltd

Updated 14 December 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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 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. CQC support services assisted the inspection team.

Service and service type:

Up 24 Seven Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. Domically care provides care and support in people’s own homes to enable them to be as independent as possible. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people using the service.

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 provider 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit. This was to ensure that the registered manager was at the office as this is a small service. The inspection took place on 7 November 2019.

What we did:

We reviewed the information we had received about the service. We reviewed the provider information return (PIR). A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service. This includes what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

At the provider’s office we spoke with the registered manager. We reviewed the care records for five of the people who used the service. We looked at a range of records relating to the running of the service such as the staff files, policies, risk assessments. We also spoke with four staff; the registered manager about the key actions they took to look at quality and safety, the deputy manager and two care and support workers. We also spoke with 10 people who were using the service by telephone.

Updated 14 December 2019

Up 24 seven services is a domiciliary care agency. It provides care for people living in their own houses and flats. People are supported in their own homes so that they can live as independently as possible. CQC regulates the personal care and support. There were 24 people using this service at the time of our visit.

People’s experience of using this service

The provider provided effective person-centred care to people using the service. Staff listened to people and organised care to meet the needs of people. Staff understood the importance of this for people using the service and provided the structured support they required. This enabled people to achieve positive outcomes and promoted a good quality of life.

There was good oversight by the management and all aspects of the service were monitored with a view to developing the service. The registered manager had a structure in place to ensure that there was appropriate staffing levels to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

Support planning was comprehensive and involved the people and any professionals supporting their health and care needs. The information was kept updated and reviewed regularly according to changing circumstances. Risk assessments were also relevant and current and had good information on how the risk could be reduced.

People were supported by well trained, caring staff who delivered care in a person-centred way.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

Staff had access to policies and procedures that reflected legislation and current best practice. The management team were enthusiastic and had a positive approach to developing the service and looked towards continued improvement.

Why we inspected

This was a first follow up inspection as the previous inspection found there was a breach of Regulation 18 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations and also a breach of Regulation 13 of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulation 2014. Safeguarding people from abuse and improper treatment.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 6 December 2018). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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