Archived: Artemis Domiciliary Care Ltd

Updated 21 December 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 was planned to check 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 was a comprehensive inspection which took place on 13 November 2018. We carried out telephone interviews with people using the service on 14 November with staff on 20 November 2018.

The inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the location provides a domiciliary care service. We needed to be sure that someone would be available at the service.

We visited the office location to meet the registered manager, office staff and to review care records, staff records, policies and procedures.

The inspection team consisted of one adult social care 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. Their area of expertise included community services for older people and people with learning disabilities.

Prior to our inspection visit we reviewed the information we held about the service, for example notifications. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. 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 took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We asked commissioners and health and social care professionals about their views and experience of the service. We received comments from three of the people we contacted.

As part of the inspection we spoke with three people who used the service and the relatives of five other people who used the service, via telephone calls. We spoke with five members of staff employed at the service including the registered manager and the office manager.

We looked at the personnel records for two members of staff and reviewed the support plans of seven people. We looked at a sample of the policies, procedures and records relating to the operation of the service.

We asked the registered manager to provide us with copies of policies and procedures, the business plan and information relating to the management and support of staff at the service. The registered manager sent us the information we asked for.

Updated 21 December 2018

The inspection took place on 13 November 2018. The inspection was announced because we needed to be sure someone would be available at the offices.

Artemis Domiciliary Care Limited is a domiciliary care service. The service operates throughout North Cumbria and provides care and support services to people living in their own home. Domiciliary services are available on a 24-hour basis throughout the year. The services provided by the agency include assistance with personal care, social support, help with meals and domestic tasks. In addition, they provide a rapid response service to assist people in low level emergency situations that do not require a 999 emergency services response.

Not everyone using the service receives 'personal care'; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating.

At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care support to 72 people living in and around the city of Carlisle.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

Information at the service was not available in various formats. However, it met the communication needs of the current people who used the service.

We have made a recommendation about the implementation of the Accessible Information Standard.

People using the service were safe and protected from the risks of harm or abuse. There were systems in place and staff were familiar with the safeguarding adults process.

Medicines were managed in a safely. The systems and checks that were in place alerted the management team straight away if medicines had not been administered as required.

People using the service were involved in the decisions and planning of their care and support needs.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported the in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

There were sufficient numbers of skilled and trained staff working at the service.

People who used the service told us that the service had good carers that were well-trained and generally arrived on time.

People could comment or raise issues about the service in several ways including formally via a complaints process.

There was a quality assurance system in place at the service. The provider was open to feedback and had developed an action plan to help monitor the service and address aspects of the service that required improving.

There were no breaches of the regulations. The service was meeting all of the relevant fundamental standards.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.