Updated 7 September 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 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 one days’ notice of the inspection. This was because we wanted to ensure the registered manager was available to speak with us.
Inspection activity started on 3 August 2022 and ended on 10 August 2022. We visited the location’s office on 3 August 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since its registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.
The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We attended the office and spoke with two members of staff, including the operations manager and a care co-ordinator.
We used emails to enable us to engage with the registered manager who was working in the satellite office in London.
We looked at records in relation to people who used the service including four care plans and systems for monitoring the quality of the service provided.
After the inspection we continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at staff training and quality assurance records. Due to people's care needs, there was only one person who was able to communicate with us on the telephone, however, the person did not respond to our attempts to engage. We spoke with three relatives on the telephone to help us understand their experience of the care and support their loved one received.