Background to this inspection
Updated
5 November 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.
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 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 not a registered manager in post. However, after the inspection a manager was appointed and submitted an application to CQC to register. We are currently assessing this application.
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 22 September 2022 and ended on 14 October 2022. We visited the location’s office on 22 September 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We also sought feedback from the local authority. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We met with the director and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We looked at records the provider used for managing the service, including the care records for four people who used the service, two staff files, and other records used by the provider for monitoring the quality of the service. After the office visit, we spoke with three people who used the service, three relatives and four members of staff.
Updated
5 November 2022
About the service
Clarity Homecare Ealing provides personal care for people living in their own homes in
the community. The majority of people funded their care privately. At the time of our inspection, there were 14 people using this 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 this service and what we found
The provider had systems in place to monitor, manage and improve service delivery, however these were not always effective. During the inspection we found staff were not always punctual to their home visits and this had not been addressed.
We also identified administration of a prescription cream was not being recorded appropriately. We recommended the provider consider current guidance on giving people topical medicines and take action to update their practice accordingly.
People were satisfied with the care from care workers and felt safe. There were risk assessments and mitigation plans in place. The provider followed safe recruitment practices to help ensure suitable people were employed. Staff received appropriate training to meet people's care needs.
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.
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 the service at the previous premises was good, published on 4 March 2021.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.
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 good to requires improvement. 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 Clarity Homecare Ealing on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement and Recommendations
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 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.