Archived: Priority Plus Care

Updated 22 February 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 was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

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

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 31 January 2023 and ended on 10 February 2023. We visited the location’s office on 2 February 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people's care plans and 1 person's Medication Administration Record [MAR]. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. We looked at a sample of the service's quality assurance systems including medication and care plan audits.

Following the inspection, we continued to seek further clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We spoke to a further 3 members of staff via telephone and email correspondence, 1 person using the service and 1 relative to obtain feedback of their experience.

Updated 22 February 2023

About the service

Priority Plus Care is a domiciliary care agency providing the regulated activity of personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 2 people 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.

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

People received safe care from staff who knew them well. There was a safeguarding policy in place and the registered manager and staff knew how to identify and report any concerns. There were enough staff to meet the needs of people using the service. We have made a recommendation in relation to the recruitment of staff.

Staff had been inducted and provided with training to enable them to meet people’s needs. We saw supervisions, spot checks, competency checks and meetings for staff were carried out and staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager. People received their medicines by trained staff where required.

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.

The registered manager carried out an assessment of people's needs and how they liked to be cared for. Care plans included guidance for staff on how to meet those needs. People told us staff were kind and caring and knew their needs well. People's nutritional needs were met, they were supported to maintain a balanced diet where required.

We received positive feedback about the leadership and management of the service. There were systems in place to monitor, maintain and improve the quality of the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

This service was registered with us on 7 December 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation about the providers recruitment processes.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.