Sarat Healthcare Ltd

Updated 17 January 2023

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

Inspection team

This 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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was announced. The provider was given 17 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 30 November 2022 ended on 12 December 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about 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 information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 20 October 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location's office. We used technology such as video calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation. We spoke with the registered manager and office staff. We looked at one care plan and risk assessment, recruitment records, quality audits, daily records and training records.

We spoke with 1 staff and 1 relative. We also spoke with the person using the service. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, staffing rotas, accident and incident records and safeguarding records.

Updated 17 January 2023

About the service

Sarat Healthcare Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The service is registered to support older people with dementia and learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder and children. At the time of this inspection there was one person using the service. 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, the service did not provide care or support for anyone with a learning disability or an autistic person. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.

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

Right Support:

Staff supported the person who used the service to be involved in maintaining their own health and wellbeing where possible. Staff communicated with the person in a way that met their 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. Staff understood the person’s support needs and received training and had the essential skills and experience to meet the person needs.

Right Care:

The person who used the service was appropriately assessed before their support began. The service worked with the person’s relative to ensure their needs could be met. The person and their relative told us they felt safe in the care of the provider. The person received support with their medicines as prescribed.

The service worked closely with external health professionals to monitor the person's physical health needs when needed. The person who used the service told us they were treated with kindness and their privacy was respected by staff. They were encouraged to express their views and were involved in making decisions about their support with family help. The person’s care plan was detailed and kept up to date to ensure they received effective care and support. The staff encouraged the person to be independent and maintain a safe living environment.

Right Culture:

The person’s relative spoke positively about the management team and staff. People received good quality care by trained staff. Staff understood the persons support needs, which enabled the person to receive compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. Staff knew and understood the person well. The registered manager promoted a positive and open culture and had a clear vision about the service and the support they delivered. The provider carried out a range of audits to ensure a good quality service was provided.

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 from the 22 December 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.