Courtcare Flexi

Updated 7 July 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

One Inspectors and an Expert by Experience carried out the inspection. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own properties. At the time of inspection, all the packages of support involving personal care were provided to young people and young adults living at home with their parent(s).

The service had a manager, who is also the provider, registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced.

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 22 June 2002 and ended on 23 June 2022. We visited the office location on 22 June 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received since the provider registered the service with CQC. This included any notifications (events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about).

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager who was also the Nominated Individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We contacted five staff members for feedback about their experience of working at the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 7 July 2022

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Courtcare Flexi is a domiciliary care service which provides care and support to people living in their own homes. They can provide support to older people, adults with dementia, learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, mental health needs, physical disabilities or sensory impairments. They can also provide

support to younger adults and children.

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 young adults with physical and/or learning disabilities who were living at home with their parent(s) received packages of support which included personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support

Staff supported people to have choice, control and independence over their lives. The service supported people to have maximum possible choice, control and independence. The service encouraged people to be involved fully in discussions about their care and support.

Relatives told us their family members were supported to decide on their chosen activities and meals and how they wanted their care to be delivered. People were supported by staff to pursue their interests and to achieve their aspirations and goals.

People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them as staff supported them consistently and knew them well. People received care that focused on their quality of life and followed best practice.

Right Care

Improvement had been made to the risk management systems. Risks were assessed and there was detailed guidance for staff on how they should provide safe care which mitigated known risks. Young people who showed distressed behaviour had a detailed positive behaviour support plan in place. Training for staff who

were involved in physical intervention was up to date.

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and potential harm. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and knew how to report any concerns. There were sufficient numbers of staff who were appropriately skilled to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

Staffing numbers were appropriate to keep people safe and the registered provider followed thorough recruitment procedures to ensure staff employed were suitable for their role. There were systems in place to ensure people were protected from the spread of infections.

Right Culture

Improvements had been made to the providers governance systems. Staff supervision and staff meetings took place regularly and used to develop and motivate staff, review their practice or behaviours, and focus on professional development.

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.

Care plans had been improved and were person centred with detailed information and guidance about people's likes, dislikes, preferences. People and their relatives were involved in planning all aspects of their care and support and were able to make changes to how their care was provided.

Records were regularly reviewed to ensure care met people's current needs. This helped to provide staff with up to date information about how each person's support was to be delivered. People’s dignity and human rights were promoted, and people were encouraged to make decisions about their day to day routines.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 14 May 2021)

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of right support, right care and right culture.

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.