Archived: MacDonald Care Services

Updated 6 June 2018

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.

Before the inspection we looked at all the information we had about the service. This information included statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. The provider had also completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

This inspection took place on 16 May 2018. The inspection was carried out 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. During the inspection we spoke with the provider and five members of staff. We visited two people who used the service at their homes and spoke on the telephone with two other people and four relatives. We looked at four people’s care records, staff training and recruitment records and records relating to the management of the service. We also contacted the local authority that commission services from the provider to gain their views about the service.

Updated 6 June 2018

MacDonald Care Services is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own home’s in the community. Not everyone using MacDonald Care Services receives the 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. At the time of the inspection the provider was providing personal care to 35 people.

This inspection took place on 16 May 2018. We gave the provider two days’ notice of the inspection as we needed to make sure they would be available. At our last inspection on 14 March 2016 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good. The service demonstrated they continued to meet the regulations and fundamental standards.

The registered provider managed the service. 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 service had safeguarding and whistle-blowing procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work. There was enough staff available to meet people’s care and support needs. Risks to people had been assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure their needs were safely met. Incidents and accidents were monitored and where trends were identified action was taken to reduce the likelihood of them happening again. Medicines were managed appropriately and people were receiving their medicines as prescribed by health care professionals. Staff had received training in infection control and food hygiene and they were aware of the steps to take to reduce the risk of the spread of infections.

Assessments of people’s care and support needs were carried out before they started using the service. Staff completed an induction when they started work and they received training relevant to people’s needs. People’s care files included assessments relating to their dietary support needs. 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.

Staff treated people in a caring, respectful and dignified manner. People and their relatives had been consulted about their care and support needs. People could communicate their needs effectively and could understand information in the current written format provided. People were confident their complaints would be listened to and acted on. Staff said they would support people according to their diverse needs. There were systems in place to provide people with end of life care and support if required.

The provider recognised the importance of monitoring the quality of the service provided to people. They took people’s views into account through spot checks and satisfaction surveys. Staff said they enjoyed working at the service and they received good support from the provider and office staff. There was an out of hours on call system in operation that ensured management support and advice was always available for staff when they needed it.