Platinum Healthcare Services

Platinum Healthcare services is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 23 people using the service. 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 the service and what we found

The service had been through a period of instability due to management staff leaving and staff sickness. Although improvements had been made to staffing, the registered manager and director continued to cover calls in response to staff sickness. This impacted on the time they had available to manage the service, which they recognised. However, there was no impact on the quality of care people received.

Staff received safeguarding training to help them recognise potential signs of abuse or neglect and were confident reporting their concerns. Risks to people’s health were assessed with guidance in place for staff to help manage those risks. Staff, people and their relatives told us their care was not rushed and that staff had time to get to know people and their needs. Staff were trained in how to administer medicines safely and infection prevention and control. The provider and staff were committed to improving the service and continuous learning, to identify and drive improvements.

People's needs were assessed before they began using the service. Staff were given an induction and training to ensure they had the skills and experiences needed to carry out their roles effectively. When people needed support with their eating and drinking, information was included in care plans which described the type of support needed. The service worked with other health professionals and agencies to improve people’s outcomes. 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.

The provider recognised the importance of using people’s past histories to support them and were proactive in supporting people’s specific needs relating to their protected characteristics. Spot checks and audits were used to monitor the safety and quality of care people received. Continuous staff development to improve people's experiences of care were valued and promoted.

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 and there were breaches of regulation (published 27 April 2022). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements have been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 10 March 2022. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve good governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Platinum Healthcare Services on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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

Platinum Healthcare services is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 30 people using the service. 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 the service and what we found

The service was not well-led. There was a lack of governance and oversight to ensure the service was continually assessed and monitored to improve safety and quality in care. An absence of audits and quality assurance meant shortfalls in risk management and care planning were not being routinely identified. We received mixed feedback from staff about the working culture and leadership. Due to management carrying out a lot of care calls, the service was not being managed effectively .

Records relating to risk assessments and care plans required improvement. Some known risks for specific health conditions did not have required risk assessments or care plans with guidance to manage those risks. Staff received safeguarding training and were confident identifying and reporting concerns. However, timely action was not always taken in response to potential safeguarding incidents.

Where people's capacity to make decisions about their care or treatment was changing, mental capacity act assessments were not carried out by the service; families were signposted to request assessments from the G.P. However, 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.

Staff were recruited safely and spoke positively about their training. We received positive feedback from people about staff skills and competencies. People were supported to attend and access healthcare appointments and services.

People felt safe and were well cared for by staff familiar to them. People and their relatives gave us positive feedback about staff who were kind, caring and compassionate. Staff treated people with respect and recognised the importance of promoting their independence and individuality.

People and their relatives were included in care planning to ensure their care was provided based on their preferences, wishes and choices. A variety of resources was provided in an accessible format including a mobile library which offered audio and large print books. Visual charts were designed and implemented to help those who struggled to communicate their needs verbally.

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 service was registered with us on 28 January 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as the service had not been inspected or rated.

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 monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to Regulation 17 Good Governance 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 from 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 continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.