We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Chocolate Quarter Home Care Service on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Chocolate Quarter Home Care Service, you can give feedback on this service.
The Chocolate Quarter Home Care Service is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. The service provides support to adults over and under 65 years, people living with physical disabilities or dementia and people with sensory impairments. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people using the 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
This was a targeted inspection to review concerns we received about manual handling, incidents of safeguarding not being reported or investigated, and action not being taken in response to changes in people’s needs.
People who needed support to mobilise had detailed moving and handling plans in place with guidance for staff to follow. The provider employed an occupational therapist (OT) who was available to visit people in their own homes to carry out assessments. The service also referred people to the community OT as appropriate. The OT wrote step by step guidance for staff and was on hand to review people if their needs changed.
Staff had training on manual handling and when new equipment was needed for people, staff were shown how to use it safely. The provider also employed a physiotherapist who was also on hand with the OT to provide people and staff with support.
Incidents of safeguarding were investigated and reported. However, we found for one person the service had not reported concerns in a timely way. Whilst they had worked closely with the person’s GP, healthcare professionals and relatives, the local authority had not been informed. A referral to the local authority had been made prior to our inspection.
Staff received training on safeguarding and dementia and told us they would report any concerns to senior staff or the registered manager. Staff told us they were confident the management would take appropriate action.
People had care plans which were reviewed regularly by the senior team. We observed guidance for one person from the mental health team was not reflected in their care plan. The registered manager acted immediately to update the record. Staff we spoke with told us they were following the guidance from the mental health team in their approach.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 3 August 2022).
Why we inspected
We undertook this targeted inspection to check on specific concerns we had received about manual handling, incidents of safeguarding not being reported or investigated, and action not being taken in response to changes in people’s needs. The overall rating for the service has not changed following this targeted inspection and remains good.
We use targeted inspections to follow up on Warning Notices or to check concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
The Chocolate Quarter Homecare Service is a domiciliary care service. It provides personal care to adults with a range of support needs who are living in their own homes. Not everyone who uses the service receives the regulated activity of personal care. 21 people were receiving support with their personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people do receive personal care, we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were happy with the care they received, and they told us they felt safe when receiving care from the service. People's care visits took place at consistent times, to suit their preferences. There were systems in place to ensure people's medicines were managed safely and people were protected from the risk of infection. Staff knew how to safeguard people from the risk of abuse and other identified risks to people were assessed and mitigated.
Before people started using the service, their needs and preferences were assessed, to ensure the service could provide the level of care each person wanted. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported by staff who received training to ensure they had the right knowledge and skills to support people effectively. Regular spot checks were carried out to ensure competency.
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 treated well by staff who were kind, caring and who went beyond the expectation of their roles to support people. Staff had built positive relationships with clients and their families. Feedback was regularly obtained from people using the service about individual staff, to ensure they were compatible with each other.
People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. People told us the service was flexible and their preferences were adhered to. People said they felt able to raise any issues or concerns should anything arise. The provider had a suitable system in place to manage and act on any complaints.
The service was well led and had an open culture. Staff at all levels displayed a desire to provide good quality, person-centred care to people. The registered manager regularly sought feedback from people to ensure the service was tailored to their needs and preferences. There were systems in place to monitor the quality and the safety of the service provided. Audits were regularly carried out and recorded to enable continuity and to provide oversight on any short falls picked up by the audit.
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 22 July 2021 and this is the first inspection.
The last rating for the service at the previous registered office was good (published on 6 January 2021).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.