We carried out a review of the data available to us about Care4you on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Care4you, you can give feedback on this service.
Care4you is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to adults. At the time of the inspection, 31 people were being supported by the service.
Not everyone using a domiciliary care agency receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service:
People, relatives and staff told us the service was exceptionally caring. Feedback from everyone was extremely positive about how the manager and staff supported people in a kind and person-centred way. Everyone said the service was exceptionally good and they said the manager’s approach to good-quality care was the main reason for this. One staff member appropriately summed up everyone’s views when they said, “I’m not biased, but I think this service has a lot of ‘outstanding’ features. It is really good!”
People felt safe while being supported by staff. Relatives were confident people would be supported safely, including in managing any known risks. There was evidence people were protected from harm by staff who had been trained, and were confident in recognising and reporting concerns. Potential risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and minimised. There were enough staff to ensure people’s needs were met safely. People were supported well to manage their medicines because staff had been trained to do so safely. Staff followed effective processes to prevent the spread of infection.
People said their needs had been met by skilled staff. Staff had been appropriately trained, well supported and had information to meet people’s assessed needs. Where required, staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink. Staff supported people to access healthcare services when required to help them maintain their health and well-being.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were fully involved in making decisions about their care and support. People and their relatives were involved in planning and reviewing care plans. People told us staff who supported them were caring and friendly. Staff respected and promoted people’s privacy, dignity and independence.
Information in people's care plans supported staff to provide person-centred care that met people’s needs. The manager worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure people received care that met their needs. There was a system to ensure people’s suggestions, concerns and complaints were recorded, investigated, and acted upon to reduce the risk of recurrence. Where required, staff supported people well at the end of their lives.
Audits and quality monitoring checks were carried out regularly to continually improve the service. The service had systems to enable people to provide feedback about their experiences of the service. People's experiences of the service were extremely positive, and the manager showed us they worked hard to provide consistently good-quality care.
Rating at last inspection:
The service was rated 'good' when we last inspected it. That report was published in March 2016.
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor all information we receive about the service and schedule the next inspection accordingly.
Care4you is a family run community based service that provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service provided support to 36 people.
The service is not required to have 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 feedback we received from people was excellent. People who used the service expressed great satisfaction and spoke very highly of the provider and the care workers. They told us of instances when care workers had gone over and above what had been expected of them.
The safety of people who used the service was taken very seriously and the provider and care workers were aware of their responsibility to protect people’s health and wellbeing. There were systems in place to ensure that risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were identified and addressed.
The provider ensured that care workers had a full understanding of people’s care needs and had the skills and knowledge to meet them. People received consistent support from care workers who knew them well and they felt safe and secure when receiving care.
People had positive relationships with their care workers and were confident in the service. There was a strong emphasis on key principles of care such as compassion, respect and dignity. People who used the service felt they were treated with kindness and said their privacy and dignity was always respected.
People received a service that was based on their personal needs and wishes. Changes in people’s needs were quickly identified and the service provided amended to meet their changing needs. The service was flexible and responded very positively to people’s requests.
People who used the service felt able to make requests and express their opinions and views. The provider was very committed to continuous improvement and feedback from people, whether positive or negative, was used as an opportunity for improvement.
The provider demonstrated a good understanding of the importance of effective quality assurance systems. There were processes in place to monitor quality and understand the experiences of people who used the service. The provider demonstrated strong values and a desire to learn about and implement best practice throughout the service.
Staff were very highly motivated and proud of the service. They said that they were fully supported by the provider and a programme of training and supervision that enabled them to provide a high quality service to people.
We reviewed the care records for four people currently receiving care and saw that they were offered support at a level which encouraged independence and ensured that specific, individual needs were met. People told us that staff were always friendly and respectful of their needs. One person told us, "They do what they should in a kind and caring manner."
People said that they felt able to approach all members of staff if they had issues or concerns and were confident that any matter would be resolved in a timely manner.
Personal files showed that recruitment processes were appropriate and ensured that staff employed were suitable for their roles. We also noted that on-going training supported staff to have the relevant skills and knowledge to meet people's needs safely.
We saw that individual care plans and daily notes were kept for people and these were currently being transferred onto a new system, allowing them to be made a little more personal. The manager and senior staff kept in good contact with people to ensure the consistency of service was maintained.