Archived: Favor Care Agency

Updated 16 June 2017

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.

This was an announced inspection which took place on 9 May 2017 by one inspector. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the organisation provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available.

We asked the local authority if they had any information to share with us about the services provided at the home. The local authorities are responsible for monitoring the quality and funding for people who use the service.

We looked at the information we held about the provider and this service, such as incidents, unexpected deaths or injuries to people receiving care, this also included any safeguarding matters. We refer to these as notifications and providers are required to notify the Care Quality Commission about these events.

We spoke with three people and three relatives. We spoke with five staff and the registered manager. We also spoke with a social worker that had supported people using this service.

We looked at the care records for four people which included medication records. We looked at one staff recruitment file, meeting minutes, satisfaction survey results and other records relevant to the quality monitoring of the service.

Updated 16 June 2017

We undertook an announced inspection on 9 May 2017. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our intention to undertake an inspection. This was because the organisation provides a domiciliary care service to people in their homes and or the family home; we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office.

The provider registered this service with us to provide personal care and support for people with a range of varying needs including learning disabilities, who live in their own homes. At the time of our inspection six people received support with personal care.

There was a registered manager for this service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers and registered managers 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.

We inspected the service in July 2016. We found improvement was needed to ensure people’s needs were assessed and risks recognised to ensure staff had clear guidance to follow. We found at this inspection that people had their risks assessed and staff were aware of how to keep people safe. We also found the service was not consistently well-led. The registered manager did not have an effective system to consistently monitor the quality and safety of the care provided. At this inspection we found the registered manager had improved systems to monitor the quality of care provided

People we spoke with said they had support from staff who knew them well. Staff we spoke with recognised the different types of abuse. There were systems in place to guide them in reporting any concerns. Staff were knowledgeable about how to manage people’s individual risks, and were able to respond to people’s needs. People were supported to receive their medicines when needed by trained staff who knew the risks associated with them.

Staff had up to date knowledge and training to support people with their care needs. People were supported to eat and drink well when identified as part of their support needs. People we spoke with told us they were supported to make their own decisions and felt listened to by staff. Staff always ensured people gave their consent to the support they received. People told us staff would support them to access health professionals when they need to. Relatives said there was good communication between themselves, staff and healthcare professionals.

People and their relatives said staff and the registered manager were caring and kind. People said they were treated with dignity and respect, and encouraged to be as independent as possible. People said they were involved in making choices about how they were supported. Relatives told us they were involved as part of the team to support their family member. The registered manager was adaptable to changes in people’s care needs and communicated those changes to staff.

People and their relatives knew how to raise complaints and the registered manager had arrangements in place to ensure people were listened to and appropriate action taken. People and staff said the management team were accessible and supportive to them.

The registered manager monitored the quality of the service by completing regular spot checks and talking to people and their relatives. The registered manager ensured there was a culture of openness for people using the service and staff.