iCall Care

Updated 26 June 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 two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The provider was also the manager 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

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 site visit activity started on 31 May 2019 and ended on 4 June 2019. We visited the office location on 31 May to see the provider and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. We made telephone calls to people, their families and staff on 3 and 4 June 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we had about the service which included any notifications that had been sent to us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. 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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and three relatives. We also had discussions with eight members of staff that included five care staff, a care support worker, a case manager and the provider. We looked at the care records of six people who used the service, staff recruitment files, quality assurance checks, staff training and supervision records, safeguarding information and accidents and incident information.

Updated 26 June 2019

About the service

iCall Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to younger and older adults living with families or in their own homes in the community. At the time of our inspection they were supporting 21 people.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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

People were cared for safely and staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe from abuse or harm. Risk assessments were in place which ensured that staff knew what to do to mitigate the risks identified. People received their medicines safely and there were effective practices in place to protect people from infection.

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 received the support they required and had access to training.

Staff were kind and caring and passionate about the care they provided. People and their families consistently told us how well looked after they were, and staff were respectful. People’s dignity and privacy was maintained, and people felt in control of their lives.

People had individualised care plans which ensured they received person-centred care. Plans considered people’s preferences, likes and dislikes and their cultural and religious backgrounds. People knew who to speak to raise concerns and were confident they would be listened to. Families experience of end of life care for their relative was very positive; staff were described as compassionate and patient.

The provider was open and honest and strived to look at ways to improve the service. Staff felt well supported and people were confident in the service. Staff liaised with other health professionals and looked at ways to improve people’s life experiences.

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 15 November 2016)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.