Background to this inspection
Updated
14 September 2018
This inspection took place on 8, 9,and10 August 2018. 72 hours’ notice was given as we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available when we visited the agency offices. This time also enabled the registered manager to arrange home visits. This allowed us to hear about people’s experiences of the service.
Caring for You Limited – Portsmouth 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 older adults. Additional services which are not regulated by the Commission were also provided for example support with housework, companionship services and support to remain active.
At the last inspection in April 2017, the service was rated Requires Improvement. That inspection found staff induction and training, and the governance processes in place to monitor these and check people’s care records were always accurate, required improvement. At this inspection we found the provider had addressed these previous concerns. We found the service had improved from “Requires Improvement” to “Good.”
There was a registered manager in post. 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.
Why the service is rated Good.
At the time of the inspection, the service was providing personal care to 99 people.
People and their relatives told us staff were caring and kind. Staff demonstrated kindness and compassion for people through their conversations and interactions. People’s privacy and dignity was promoted. People were actively involved in making choices and decisions about how they wanted to live their lives and receive their support. People were protected from abuse because staff understood what action to take if they were concerned someone was being abused or mistreated.
People received care which was responsive to their needs. People and their relatives were encouraged to be part of the care planning process and to attend or contribute to care reviews where possible. This helped to ensure the care being provided met people’s individual needs and preferences. Support plans were personalised and guided staff to help people in the way they liked.
Risks associated with people’s care and living environment were effectively managed to ensure their freedom was promoted. People were supported by consistent staff to help meet their needs. People’s independence was encouraged and staff helped people feel valued by engaging them in everyday tasks where they were able, for example by encouraging them to wash the areas they could reach.
The registered manager and provider wanted to ensure the right staff were employed, so recruitment practices were safe and ensured that checks had been undertaken. Staff underwent a thorough induction and ongoing training to meet people’s needs effectively. People’s medicines were managed safely by competent staff.
People received care from staff who had undertaken training to be able to meet their unique needs. People’s human rights were protected because the registered manager and staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People’s nutritional needs were met because staff followed people’s support plans to make sure people were eating and drinking enough and potential risks were known. People were supported to access health care professionals to maintain their health and wellbeing.
Policies and procedures across the service ensured information was given to people in accessible formats when and if required, for example information in larger fonts. People were treated equally and fairly and staff had received training in equality and diversity. Staff adapted their communication methods dependent u
Updated
14 September 2018
This inspection took place on 8, 9,and10 August 2018. 72 hours’ notice was given as we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available when we visited the agency offices. This time also enabled the registered manager to arrange home visits. This allowed us to hear about people’s experiences of the service.
Caring for You Limited – Portsmouth 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 older adults. Additional services which are not regulated by the Commission were also provided for example support with housework, companionship services and support to remain active.
At the last inspection in April 2017, the service was rated Requires Improvement. That inspection found staff induction and training, and the governance processes in place to monitor these and check people’s care records were always accurate, required improvement. At this inspection we found the provider had addressed these previous concerns. We found the service had improved from “Requires Improvement” to “Good.”
There was a registered manager in post. 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.
Why the service is rated Good.
At the time of the inspection, the service was providing personal care to 99 people.
People and their relatives told us staff were caring and kind. Staff demonstrated kindness and compassion for people through their conversations and interactions. People’s privacy and dignity was promoted. People were actively involved in making choices and decisions about how they wanted to live their lives and receive their support. People were protected from abuse because staff understood what action to take if they were concerned someone was being abused or mistreated.
People received care which was responsive to their needs. People and their relatives were encouraged to be part of the care planning process and to attend or contribute to care reviews where possible. This helped to ensure the care being provided met people’s individual needs and preferences. Support plans were personalised and guided staff to help people in the way they liked.
Risks associated with people’s care and living environment were effectively managed to ensure their freedom was promoted. People were supported by consistent staff to help meet their needs. People’s independence was encouraged and staff helped people feel valued by engaging them in everyday tasks where they were able, for example by encouraging them to wash the areas they could reach.
The registered manager and provider wanted to ensure the right staff were employed, so recruitment practices were safe and ensured that checks had been undertaken. Staff underwent a thorough induction and ongoing training to meet people’s needs effectively. People’s medicines were managed safely by competent staff.
People received care from staff who had undertaken training to be able to meet their unique needs. People’s human rights were protected because the registered manager and staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People’s nutritional needs were met because staff followed people’s support plans to make sure people were eating and drinking enough and potential risks were known. People were supported to access health care professionals to maintain their health and wellbeing.
Policies and procedures across the service ensured information was given to people in accessible formats when and if required, for example information in larger fonts. People were treated equally and fairly and staff had received training in equality and diversity. Staff adapted their communication methods dependent upon people’s needs for example simple questions and information was given to people with cognitive difficulties and information about the service available in larger print for those people with visual impairments.
The service was well led by the registered manager who was also the nominated individual. They were supported in their role by the company directors and a small, dedicated team. There were quality assurance systems in place to help assess the ongoing quality of the service, and to help identify any areas which might require improvement. Complaints and incidents were reflected upon to ensure improvement. The registered manager / provider promoted the ethos of honesty and admitted when things had gone wrong. The service kept abreast of changes to maintain quality care.