Archived: Liberty Carers Limited

Updated 24 October 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

The inspection team consisted of an 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.

Service and service type

Liberty Carers 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 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 1 days’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection and to enable the service to securely share information with us electronically prior to the inspection. Inspection activity started on 14 June 2023 and ended on 9 August 2023. We visited the location’s office on 4 and 7 July 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had about the service since they became operational. 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 11 people who used the service and 4 relatives. We spoke with the nominated individual, registered manager, and communicated electronically with 12 care staff. We looked at a range of management records including, medicines, quality audits and staff training. We reviewed 9 people’s care records including risk assessments and 8 staff recruitment records. The registered manager sent us documentation we asked for and clarified any queries we had.

Updated 24 October 2023

About the service

Liberty Carers Limited is domiciliary care service providing personal care to adults and children. They previously operated under the name Caremark (Redbridge & Waltham Forest). At the time of this inspection 68 people were receiving a 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.

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

People were safeguarded from the risk of harm or abuse. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. People had risk assessments to reduce the risk of harm they may face. People were protected from the risks associated from the spread of infection. Medicines were managed safely. The provider had a system in place to learn lessons from accidents and incidents.

Staff were supported with training opportunities, supervision and appraisal. People had their care needs assessed before beginning to use the service. Staff supported people with their healthcare needs when appropriate. People were supported with their nutrition and hydration. Staff asked for consent before delivering care. 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’s protected characteristics were met. Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported and their care needs. People and relatives were involved in deciding how they wanted their care. Staff promoted people’s privacy, dignity and independence.

Care records were detailed, personalised and outcome based. People’s communication needs were met. Staff supported people with activities where this was part of their care plan. People knew how to complain and felt their concerns would be dealt with appropriately.

People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the leadership in the service. The provider had regular meetings with staff so they could be updated about the service. People and staff were given feedback surveys so they could give their views about the service. The provider worked jointly with healthcare professionals and carried out quality checks to improve outcomes for people.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service under when they were registered as Caremark (Redbridge & Waltham Forest) was requires improvement (published 8 September 2022). This provider changed their registered address soon after the last inspection. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

At our last inspection we recommended the provider review risk assessments to ensure they contained enough detail. At this inspection, we found the provider had acted on our recommendation and risk assessments were now more detailed.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. The provider had relocated and changed their legal entity.

Follow up

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