Background to this inspection
Updated
11 May 2023
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
This inspection was carried out by an 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. This service provides care and support to people living in 2 ‘supported living’ settings, 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.
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 48 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 15 March 2023 when we visited the service and ended on 16 March 2023.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the service was registered. We used information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 3 February 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We also sought feedback from Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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 this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 4 people and 11 relatives of people who used the service. We spoke to 11 staff including the registered manager, manager, the transition coordinator and the care coordinator and support workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people's care records and medication records. We looked at 6 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the governance and oversight of the service including policies and procedures.
We communicated with the registered manager after the site visit and requested some further evidence.
Updated
11 May 2023
About the service
The Serenity Care Company Home Care is a domiciliary care service. They provide personal care to people living in their own individual flats and within a supported living setting. The service provides support to people with a learning disability and autistic people. 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. At the time of the inspection 44 people including children were receiving personal care.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities which most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support
People received care and support that enabled them to have choice and control of their care. Staff enabled and encouraged people to take part in activities, which they enjoyed doing and helped them to experience new recreational activities. People were encouraged to develop new skills and have active and fulfilling lives.
People's independence was promoted. 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 service ensured information was available in different formats. People’s communication needs were identified and support plans detailed their preferred ways to communicate and make decisions.
Risks to people were assessed, managed, monitored, and support plans guided staff how to promote people’s safely and wellbeing. People were supported to maintain their tenancy, which included monitoring environmental health and safety.
The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.
Right Care
People’s care, support and their support plans reflected their range of needs, abilities, interests, and goals. Staff enabled and empowered people to take part in activities and pursue interests that were tailored to them.
Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and knew how to apply it. Staff supported people to stay safe and maintain their wellbeing.
People were supported with their medicines by staff trained and competent to do so. People were involved and supported by staff in the planning and preparation of meals.
People received kind and compassionate care and support. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity, promoted their independence and treated them with respect.
People received care and support from staff who knew them well and understood their individual needs and considered their individual preferences. Staff understood people's individual ways of communicating and spoke about them with respect.
Right Culture
People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. People and their relatives were involved in planning and the review of their care and support plans.
Systems were in place to ensure staff were safely recruited and trained for their role to provide person-centred care based on people’s individual care needs and risks. The staff worked well with external agencies and health and social care professionals, in supporting people with their ongoing care and support needs.
People and their relatives told us they felt confident to approach the management team and that their suggestions would be listened and responded to. A range of quality checks with oversight at provider level helped to maintain and improve the service and the lives of people supported.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 2 June 2021 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date the service was registered. We assessed whether the service is applying the principles of right support right care right culture.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.