Ever Care

Updated 8 December 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

The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. The service also provides a supported living service to a person in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. At the time of inspection, no people were receiving support within the supported living setting.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 19 October 2022 and ended on 4 November 2022. We visited the location’s office on 19 October 2022 and 2 November 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 5 relatives. We spoke with 4 members of staff including the registered manager and 3 care assistants. We reviewed 4 people’s care records, 3 staff files and multiple medicine records. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

Updated 8 December 2022

About the service

Ever Care is a domiciliary care and supported living service providing personal care and support to 14 people at the time of 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. No people were supported with personal care from the supported living service at the time of inspection.

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

The service ensured people’s hydration and nutritional needs were met and exceptional attention and action was taken for these needs where a person was considered at risk of their health deteriorating due to a medical condition. 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.

Risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and the registered manager ensured risks were documented for staff to follow. Medicines were administered safely and improvements for “as required” medicine protocols were implemented. People were protected from the risk of infection and were supported by staff who had been recruited safely and had undergone necessary checks before they started to provide care. People felt safe with the care they received.

People felt they were cared for by staff who knew them well and were treated with dignity and respect. People’s preferences were respected and people and their relatives were involved in the assessment process to ensure their views were captured.

People’s communication needs were assessed and they were supported with access to different communication methods where required. People and relatives knew how to raise concerns and said the service was responsive to their needs.

The service was well-led and the registered manager ensured there was effective managerial oversight of safety and risks. People were engaged by the service to provide feedback about their care and prompt action was taken when required. There service worked effectively with external health and social care professionals to ensure people’s needs were met.

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

Why we inspected

The service was registered with us on 22 April 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.