Updated 23 January 2019
The inspection:
• We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.
Inspection team:
• Our inspection was completed by one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. Our expert by experience had knowledge about personal care of adults within the community.
Service and service type:
• North London Bikur Cholim Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people in the Jewish Orthodox community living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of the inspection it was providing a service to 22 people.
• The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection:
• Our inspection was announced.
• The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.
• Our inspection process commenced on 8 January 2019 and concluded on 8 January 2019. It included visiting the service's office and telephoning people who used the service and their relatives. We visited the office location on 8 January 2019 to see the registered manager and office staff, and to review care records and policies and procedures. We telephoned eight relatives on 8 January 2019.
What we did:
• Our inspection was informed by evidence we already held about the service. We also checked for feedback we received from members of the public and the local authority. We checked records held by Companies House.
• We asked the service to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
• We spoke with eight relatives of people who used the service. We were unable to speak with people themselves.
• We spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager, compliance consultant and three care workers.
• We reviewed four people's care records, three staff personnel files, staff training documents other records about the management of the service.
• We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after our inspection. This was received and the information was used as part of our inspection.