17 September 2021
During a routine inspection
Crocus Community Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. 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. At the time of inspection, the service was supporting a total of 25 people, with 10 people receiving support with personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Care plans and risk assessments were in place setting out people’s support needs, but some required a review to ensure they were up to date. Supervisions and spot checks took place informally to ensure staff were supported and competent in their roles
We have made a recommendation about the recording of the level of medicines support required in care plans and a recommendation about medicine competency assessments.
Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures were effective, including the safe management of COVID-19. Whilst there had been no new staff recruited since the last inspection, care was provided by a small, long-standing staff team who knew people well. Lessons were learned from accidents and incidents to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. Staff were confident in how to raise safeguarding concerns.
Assessments were carried out on people’s care and support needs, involving people and their families in the care planning process. Staff had access to online training to develop their skills and knowledge, although some practical training had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. People were supported with food and drink, and staff knew their preferences and choices. The service enabled people to access healthcare support, such as district nurses, GPs and other professionals.
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.
Staff were described as caring, compassionate and kind. People told us they often went ‘over and above’ to make them feel comfortable and cared for. People’s privacy and dignity were upheld, and their independence promoted.
The service was described by people as being responsive, with extra visits and support often available if required in response to people’s changing needs. Communication methods had been considered for people if additional support was required to make information accessible. Staff built rapport with people to reduce the risk of social isolation. Where complaints had been received, this had been followed up openly by the manager and advice sought from external agencies such as the local authority where required. A policy and procedure was in place in case staff needed guidance on supporting people receiving end of life care.
There was a positive and inclusive culture at the service. Oversight and governance systems were in place, including audits, for the purposes of quality assurance. The provider was open and transparent and understood regulatory requirements and the duty of candour. We received feedback the service worked well with other professionals to secure good outcomes for people.
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 6 November 2019).
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated good and outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.
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.