Country Carers Limited

Updated 14 March 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

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

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. The provider was the registered manager and in day to day charge of the service This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider/registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 14 February 2020. We visited the office on the 18 February 2020, and spoke to people, relatives and further staff on the 20 and 21 February 2020.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service, including information provided at registration. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We visited the office and spoke with the registered manager/provider, personnel manager, administration staff and two care staff. We reviewed a range of records. These included three care records, three staff files and records relating to the management and day to day running of the service. We looked at care and medication administration records and daily notes completed by care staff in people’s home.

After the inspection

We telephoned and spoke with three people using the service and two relatives. We received feedback by email from two health professionals who work with the service and spoke to two further care staff.

Updated 14 March 2020

Country Carers Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing care and support to people living in their own homes. 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. On the day of the inspection, the service was supporting 38 people with a range of health and social care needs, including physical disability and people living with dementia. Support was tailored according to people’s assessed needs, considering people’s individual preferences and lifestyles to help people to live and maintain independent lives and remain in their homes.

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

Country Carers provided care and support to people living in Rye and surrounding rural areas. Care was provided in a person centred way. Robust systems of reviewing and monitoring care provision and staffing ensured that people received effective care that met their current and changing needs.

The provider was the registered manager and in day to day charge of the service. Supported by a dedicated team of administration and care staff. A high level of care meant peoples independence and welfare was supported which enabled them to live in their own home for as long as possible.

People were positive about the care they received, spoke highly of the management and staff providing their care, and felt they were treated with kindness and respect. This in turn ensured people felt safe and well supported. The service worked closely with people’s families and other healthcare professionals involved in people’s care provision.

Care was provided by a consistent core team of staff. One relative told us, “ There’s a pool of six or eight carers that visit very regularly and there are two or three of them that usually come. There is very much continuity, and Mum is familiar with them all and they are familiar with Mum. They are brilliant, they treat her like family.”

Sufficient staff were available to ensure people's wellbeing and safety was protected. The provider and office staff were trained to provide care and were able to carry out visits in the event of a member of care staff going off sick or in an emergency.

A robust recruitment and selection process was also in place. Staff completed a probationary period which included mandatory training and support. Staff told us they received all the training they needed to meet peoples care needs. Staff felt supported and received regular spot checks, supervision and appraisals.

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. People felt they were offered choice in the way their care was delivered and that they had no concerns around their dignity and privacy in their own homes being respected. One person told us, “They always explain what they are going to do and how they are going to do it.”

The provider had robust quality assurance systems in place to measure and monitor the standard of the service. This included a number of audits and reviews. Systems supported people to stay safe by assessing and mitigating risks, ensuring that people were cared for in a person-centred way. Actions were identified and taken forward to ensure continued learning and improvement.

People told us they thought the service was well managed and they received good quality care that met their needs and improved their wellbeing from caring and compassionate staff . One person told us, “They have the balance of care and consideration with professionalism down to a fine art, it is always done with care and consideration one hundred per cent.”

The provider and staff attended forums and worked with other care agencies. This meant that best practice could be shared, and on-going learning was facilitated.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 1 June 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.