Background to this inspection
Updated
20 November 2021
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 one inspector 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 houses and flats.
The service had a manager who was 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.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 72 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 5 August 2021 and ended on 28 August 2021.
What we did before the inspection
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return (PIR) prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. 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 all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We contacted four people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four care staff, the care coordinator, the deputy manager, the quality assurance manager and the registered manager.
We reviewed a range of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, audits and governance records. We looked at five people's care records and medication records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, quality assurance records and feedback from people and their relatives.
Updated
20 November 2021
About the service
Lotus Home Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older people, people living with dementia, people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments. At the time of the inspection 36 people were receiving the regulated activity of personal care.
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.
People's experience of using the service and what we found
People and their relatives had mixed views about the service. Some people told us care calls were often late or at times early. Recruitment processes were not consistently followed. There were enough staff on duty however, the way in which staff were deployed meant travelling time caused delays in people receiving timely care.
The service had not ensured systems and processes to assess risk and monitor quality were effective in driving improvements. Late or early calls were not reported to the management team so opportunities to improve the service people received were missed.
People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse as staff and the registered manager were aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns to the relevant authorities. People were not always protected from the risk of harm, as some staff did not wear personal protective equipment as per national guidance. However, the registered manager increased the spot checks to address this issue.
Medicines were managed in the right way. Accidents and near misses had been analysed so lessons could be learned to help avoid preventable accidents. People had been helped to quickly receive medical attention when necessary.
People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and care staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were treated with kindness and compassion, their privacy was respected and confidential information was kept private.
People were consulted about their care, had been given information in a user-friendly format. There were arrangements in place to resolve complaints, but these were not always effective.
Quality checks had been completed and people had been consulted about the development of the service. Good teamwork was encouraged and joint working was promoted.
For more details, please read the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we inspected
Prior to inspection we received several concerns about people not receiving care in a timely manner which resulted in us inspecting the service. The service was registered with us on 11 February 2021 and this is the first inspection since registration.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.