Riann Care

Riann Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. At the time of this inspection there were 10 people receiving personal care services.

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 received positive feedback about their care and support from people who used the service and their relatives. We found improvements had been made in the areas where we had concerns at our last inspection. At that inspection the provider was operating under a different name.

People told us they felt safe when supported by staff from Riann Care. There were high standards of hygiene. People had their medicines administered in line with their wishes. Care workers arrived at the right time and stayed for the right amount of time to support people without rushing them.

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. People were satisfied their care workers had the right skills and knowledge to support them.

People were complimentary about the management and office team, describing them as being approachable and responsive. We found suitable management systems and processes in place to sustain improvements that had been made.

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 (published 8 December 2022).

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

The provider has changed the name of the service since the last inspection.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service between 29 September and 3 November 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after that inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. We identified necessary improvements in safe care and treatment, good governance, fit and proper persons employed, and staffing.

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 Riann Care 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 or assess the service using our new ways of working.

Christie Care Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people using the service.

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

We received positive feedback from people’s relatives about the care and support they received. However, we could not be assured people had received their medicines as prescribed. Risk assessments had been completed but were not easily accessible to staff. Recruitment procedures did not include all the necessary checks for new staff. The provider had an on-line training package in place but was not able to evidence all staff had completed this training. Effective systems were not in place to ensure good governance.

People’s relatives told us they felt their loved ones were safe when supported by staff from the service. Relatives and staff told us staff always wore aprons, gloves and masks when supporting people.

The provider met with people and assessed their needs before they offered to support them.

People had detailed care plans in place which included information about people’s needs, preferences and wishes. People were supported with eating and drinking when this was part of their care plan. The provider and staff liaised with other healthcare professionals such as district nurses and GPs to improve outcomes for people.

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.

People were supported by staff who treated them well and involved people in making decisions about their care and support. Care records showed evidence of considering people’s capacity to consent to care. People were supported by staff who respected their privacy and dignity.

The provider involved people using the service and welcomed feedback from them. There was a complaints procedure in place and relatives said they felt able to complain if necessary. The provider ensured staff received regular supervision sessions, which included observing their practice.

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

This service was registered with us on 18 August 2022 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We conducted a comprehensive inspection which looked at all the key questions so we could provide a rating for the service.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe, effective and well-led sections of this full report.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Follow up

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

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.

Berkshire Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care to people in their own homes. It provides a service to older adults, younger disabled adults, and people living with dementia, physical disability and sensory impairments.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with the regulated activity ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Not everyone using the service receives the regulated activity. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to nine people.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

On the first day we met administration staff who were overseeing the service while the registered manager was away. On the second day of inspection, we met the registered manager to continue carrying out the inspection.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good with Caring domain rated Outstanding. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Outstanding in the Caring domain. There was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People felt safe while supported by the staff. Staff had a good understanding of how to keep people safe and their responsibilities for reporting accidents, incidents or concerns. Staff had the knowledge and confidence to identify safeguarding concerns and acted on these to keep people safe.

Staff training records indicated which training was considered mandatory. Most of the staff were up to date with their mandatory training. The registered manager had planned and booked training when necessary to ensure all staff had the appropriate knowledge to support people. We have made a recommendation the registered manager refer to the current best practice guidance on ongoing training for social care staff.

Staff had ongoing support via regular supervision and appraisals. They felt supported by the registered manager and maintained great team work.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their individual needs. People were informed about the changes to and timings of their visits. The service had an appropriate recruitment procedure to follow before new staff were employed to work with people. They checked to ensure staff were of good character and suitable for their role.

People were supported by a dedicated and caring team of staff and the registered manager, helping them to build and maintain their independence and live their life to the fullest. The service went above and beyond their role to enable people to develop and meet their personal goals and wishes. People were treated with the utmost respect and their privacy, and dignity were promoted. People and relatives felt their care workers were excellent and supported them in the way they wanted. Staff were very responsive to the needs of the people and enabled them to improve and/or maintain their independence with personal care. The whole staff team were highly motivated and proud of the service they provided to the people.

The staff monitored people's health and wellbeing and took appropriate action when required to address concerns. The service assessed risks to people's personal safety, as well as staff and visitors, and plans were in place to minimise those risks. There were safe medicines administration systems in place and people received their medicines when required.

People received support that was individualised to their specific needs. Their needs and support plans were kept under review and amended as changes occurred. People's rights to make their own decisions, where possible, were protected and staff were aware of their responsibilities to ensure people's rights were promoted.

Staff felt they worked really well together and supported each other, which benefitted the people. Staff felt the registered manager was very supportive and approachable. They worked with them as a team and they had good communication. The registered manager had quality assurance systems put in place to monitor the running of the service and the quality of the service being delivered. The registered manager was able to identify issues and improvements necessary and action was being taken to address these. They praised the staff team for their dedication and hard work and appreciated their contribution to ensure people received the best care and support.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.