K&R CARE

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

People receiving a home care service and community social care professionals who work with this provider all told us they were satisfied with the standard of care and support they or their clients received from K&R CARE. For example, one person said, “This is the best care agency I have ever used. I would recommend this excellent agency to anyone”, while a community professional remarked, “My clients and their families are very happy with support they receive from this domiciliary care agency”.

However, we found evidence during our inspection of a breach of regulations. The provider will need to make improvements.

The service was not always well-managed. This was because the provider did not always operate their quality monitoring systems effectively. We found a large number of errors on electronic medicine’s records where the providers governance systems had failed to identify and/or take appropriate action to address these omissions. Nonetheless, people did receive their prescribed medicines as and when they should.

People were kept safe and protected against the risk of avoidable harm and abuse. People received continuity of care from a small group of dedicated staff who were familiar with their personal needs and wishes, and whose fitness to work in adult social care had been thoroughly assessed. Staff followed current best practice guidelines regarding the prevention and control of infection, including those associated with COVID-19. The provider had measures in place to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19 related staff workforce pressures.

People received consistently good-quality care at home from staff who had the right mix of knowledge, skills and support to deliver it. Assessments of people’s support needs and wishes were carried out before they started receiving any care at home support from this agency. Where staff were responsible for assisting people to eat and drink, peoples dietary needs and wishes were met. People were supported to stay healthy and well, and to access relevant community health and social care services as and when required. 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 equally and had their human rights and diversity respected, including their cultural and spiritual needs and wishes. Staff treated people with dignity and upheld their right to privacy. People typically described staff as “kind”. People were supported to maintain their independent living skills and do as much for themselves as they were willing and capable of doing so safely.

People’s care plans were person-centred, which helped staff provide them with the individualised home care and support they needed. Staff ensured they communicated and shared information with people in a way they could easily understand. People were encouraged to make decisions about the care and support they received at home and staff respected their informed choices. The provider had systems in place to manage complaints. At the time of our inspection, no one was receiving end of life care.

People receiving a care at home service, their relatives and staff were all complimentary about the way the registered manager/owner and her deputy manager led the agency, and how approachable they both were. The quality and safety of the service people received was routinely monitored by the registered manager and they recognised the importance of learning lessons when things went wrong. The registered manager promoted an open and inclusive culture which sought the views of people receiving a care at home service, their relatives and staff. The provider worked in close partnership with other health and social care professionals and agencies to plan and deliver people’s packages of care.

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 3 September 2021 and this is their first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Enforcement

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 a single breach in relation to how this provider operated their oversight and scrutiny systems and record keeping 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.