Visiting Angels Central Lancashire

Updated 12 May 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

This 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 houses and flats.

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 that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 25 April 2023 and ended on 4 May 2023. We visited the location’s office on 25 April 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered provider, the registered manager and the care co-ordinator.

We looked at records in relation to people who used the service including 3 care plans, medication records and systems for monitoring the safety and quality of the service provided. We looked at staff training and quality assurance records.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We spoke with 3 people on the telephone to help us understand their experience of the care and support they received. We also spoke with 2 members of care staff.

Updated 12 May 2023

About the service

Visiting Angels Central Lancashire is a domiciliary care agency providing support, including personal care. The service provides support to people living in their own homes in the community.

At the time of our inspection there were 24 people using the service. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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. 9 people were receiving personal care at the time of our inspection.

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

People using the services of Visiting Angels Central Lancashire, benefited from a service that was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

Health and safety checks were carried out to help ensure any risks in people’s homes were minimised. Risks to people were identified, managed and mitigated by staff to lessen the risk of harm to people.

People told us they felt safe when receiving care and support from staff and that staff treated them with kindness and respect. People had choice in which staff provided their support.

Where people required support with taking their medicines, this was provided by staff who were trained and competent.

Staff recruitment processes ensured staff were safe to work with people. In addition to mandatory training, staff received more specialised training to help deliver care to people which was tailored to their specific health care needs.

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 was described by staff as being dedicated, approachable and helpful. Both the registered provider and the registered manager promoted a positive culture which was committed to delivering high-quality and individualised care to people. Staff understood, shared and practiced these values.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 24 May 2022, and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We carried out this inspection to provide the service with a rating.

Follow up

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