Archived: E.C. Care

Updated 4 November 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection was undertaken by one adult social care inspector, took place on 6 October 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provided personal care in the community and we needed to be sure that staff and managers would be present in the office.

For this inspection we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we already held about the service. This included statutory notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We also looked at feedback we received from relevant healthcare professionals leading up to the inspection.

At the inspection, we spoke with the registered manager and a registered nurse. After the inspection we also received feedback from a friend of the person use used the service. We did not visit people’s homes as part of this inspection. It was not possible to speak with people who used the service.

We looked at a set of records related to a person’s individual care needs. These included support plans, risk assessments, medicines administration records (MARs) and daily nursing notes. We also looked at two staff personnel files and records associated with the management of the service, including quality audits.

Updated 4 November 2016

E.C. Care provides nursing care to younger and older adults in Maidenhead, Windsor and surrounding areas of Berkshire. The service is registered for personal care, but at the time of the inspection this regulated activity was dormant. The service employs four registered nurses, one of whom is the registered manager. Staff provide care to people within their own homes. The service can care for people with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairment.

At the time of the inspection, there was a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The service has had four inspections since their transitional registration on 31 December 2010. Our last inspection was on 26 February 2014 where the five standards we checked were compliant. This is the first inspection of the location under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and rating required under the Care Act 2014.

At the time of the inspection, one people received care from the service. This differed significantly to our previous inspections where numerous older adults received personal care within their homes. The person who used the service at this inspection had complex healthcare needs and required complicated nursing care. The registered manager explained they had decided to make a change in the type of care the service provided.

People were protected against abuse or neglect. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and the service appropriately determined correct staff deployment. People’s medicines were administered, stored and disposed of appropriately.

We found staff received appropriate induction, training, supervision and performance appraisals. Recruitment and selection of new staff members was robust and ensured safety for people who used the service. Consent was gained before care was commenced and people’s right to refuse care was respected.

The registered nurses were kind and caring. Comments we received indicated people were satisfied with the care they received. We determined the staff respected people’s privacy and dignity, and ensured people remained as independent as possible. People had regular opportunities to provide feedback to the service and also have a say in their care package.

The service was responsive to people’s needs. People had the ability to share their compliments, concerns and complaints in an open and transparent manner. People’s care plans were person-centred and appropriate to the care required.

Staff expressed a positive workplace culture at the service. The registered manager was skilled and knowledgeable in their role and the team worked well together. We found that the service conducted a relevant amount of checks to assess the standard of care.