Background to this inspection
Updated
13 January 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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The team consisted of two inspectors 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.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
The service should have 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. At the time of inspection the service didn’t have a registered manager.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 23 November 2021 and ended on 6 December 2021. We visited the office location on 23 November 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.
We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
During the inspection we spoke with the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care plans, risk assessments, mental capacity records, medication records, daily notes and policies.
After the inspection
We continued to request evidence and seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We also spoke with three people and four relatives. We spoke with two members of staff.
Updated
13 January 2022
About the service
Kays Carers is a domiciliary care agency providing support for 23 people at the time of the inspection.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We found there had been a period of instability in the governance of the service and this had impacted on recording of audits and quality checks. However, this didn’t appear to have negatively impacted the quality or safety of care provided.
Most of the time 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 in the service supported this practice. However, the provider didn’t always recognise when mental capacity assessments needed to be carried out.
People told us they felt safe and that Kays Carers was reliable and staff were caring. A relative told us, “I can go shopping when they are coming, I know that [person’s name] is safe in their hands.” We found that staff were aware of their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse, risks were identified and well managed. Staff were safely recruited and received appropriate training.
People were supported to eat and drink where appropriate and to access support from other agencies, for example, their GP, where required.
People told us the staff were caring and respectful. One person told us, “They always ask me what I want.” Another person told us “I am very pleased with my help, they are well mannered and look after me.”
Although people didn’t always have the same staff consistently visiting them, the majority of people we spoke to were not concerned. A relative told us, “We do have a variety of carers but we know them all. They are all good, very kind.” However, one person we spoke to told us, “A lot of brilliant carers have left and I need to have consistency which Kays Carers can’t give me at the moment.” We found people were supported to express their views and make decisions about their care, and were treated with dignity and respect.
People felt the service enhanced their quality of life. A relative told us, “They have a cup of tea with [person’s name] and take [them] for a walk around the garden and then they watch a bit of TV, [person’s name] looks forward to them coming.” We found the service provided personalised care that met people’s needs.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 1 November 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
Kays Carers has not been inspected since it was registered with us. Therefore, this inspection looked at all 5 key questions.
Enforcement
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.
We have identified breaches in relation to good governance and the need for consent at this inspection.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.