New Pathways Healthcare Limited

Updated 30 June 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 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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

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

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration with CQC. 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 also sought feedback from the local authority. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We visited the providers office where we spoke with the registered manager and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with the care and compliance manager and two care workers and reviewed a range of records. Following the inspection, we spoke with five people using the service and eight relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also received feedback from a further three care staff and one health and social care professional.

Updated 30 June 2022

About the service

New Pathways Healthcare is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. There were 43 people using the service at the time of the inspection, 35 of whom were receiving 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. The care provided ranged from 30 minute visits to 24 hour live in care.

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

Information about some risks was not consistently up to date or clear. The systems in place to regularly and systematically review all incidents and accidents to check for safety related themes and trends needed to be developed further to ensure this provided further opportunities for reducing risks. We received mixed feedback about the reliability and consistency of the service. A full employment history had not been recorded for two workers. Where staff were responsible for managing people’s medicines, they were, overall, meeting best practice standards and people were receiving their medicines as prescribed. Staff knew how to recognise the signs of abuse.

Staff empowered people to make their own decisions about their care and support. The registered manager demonstrated an understanding of best practice around assessing mental capacity and completing best interests’ consultations. Action was being taken to update people’s consent to the care being provided and to gather evidence of Lasting Power of Attorneys. Staff undertook a suitable induction and training programme. Some people did not feel fully confident or secure with their care worker and further action was being taken to mentor staff where necessary. Some care plans lacked information or clarity around certain needs and how these were to be met. These are to be reviewed to ensure they all provide a holistic assessment of people’s needs. Staff had worked collaboratively with a range of organisations to help ensure that people’s health care needs were met effectively.

People told us staff were kind and caring. Relatives commented on the positive relationships their family member had with their care worker, People had been involved in drafting their care plan and given an opportunity to express their views. Staff understood the importance of meeting people’s needs in a dignified manner.

Overall, people spoke of the positive impact the care was having on their lives. Care plans contained some information about how people communicated and understood information presented to them. Complaints were used as opportunities to improve the service being provided. It was clear that the registered manager understood the importance of ensuring people had a comfortable and pain free death.

The governance processes in place were effective and helped to hold staff to account, keep people safe, protect people’s rights and identify where the quality of the care and support was compromised. Overall people felt that the service was well led and well organised. Staff displayed an understanding of person centred values and behaviours including compassion and respect and the promotion of independence. Staff told us the service was a good place to work. Staff meetings took place, and these provided a constructive forum for staff and the leadership team to share important information and ideas, discuss concerns or best practice approaches.

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

This service was registered with us on 27 April 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection so that we could give this registered service a rating.

Follow up

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