Updated 12 January 2023
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 team consisted of one inspector and one Expert by Experience who spoke with people and their relatives on the telephone. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
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. 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
We gave notice of the inspection. We needed to be sure the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. We also needed to arrange to speak with people over the phone.
Inspection activity started on 22 November 2022 and ended on 1 December 2022. We visited the location’s office on the 22 November 2022 and on the 1 December 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from three health and social care professionals who worked with the service, however we did not have a response from them. The Expert by Experience spoke with three people and four relatives about their care experience.
We used the information the provider sent us in their 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 spoke with the registered manager and the care co-ordinator. We reviewed a range of records including three care plans and three staff files in relation to supervision and recruitment. We looked at various policies and procedures, audits and the rostering computer system.
Prior to our inspection, we made calls to eight care staff and managed to gain feedback from five.