The Care Quality Commission
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Archived: Medic2 UK Limited - Basildon

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

Unit 9, 33 Noble Square, Basildon, Essex, SS13 1LT (01268) 590695

Provided and run by:
Medic 2 UK Limited

All Inspections

17, 22 and 28 September 2015

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Medic2 UK Limited Basildon provides personal care and support to people in their own homes.

The inspection was completed on 17, 22 and 28 September 2015. At the time of the inspection there were eight people who used the service.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 23 January, 25 January, 28 January and 29 January 2015. Several breaches of legal requirements were found and these related to poor risk management, poor medicines management, poor staff recruitment procedures, insufficient staff to meet people’s care and support needs, poor induction, training and supervision for staff and poor complaints management. In addition, the provider did not have suitable arrangements in place to effectively monitor and assess the quality and safety of the service provided. After the comprehensive inspection, the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breach. We undertook a focussed inspection on 6 May 2015 to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met the legal requirements pertaining to quality assurance. Whilst significant progress had been met to meet the regulatory requirement, improvements were still required in relation to the provider’s arrangements for quality assurance.

A registered manager was 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.

The provider told us that an application to cancel the location’s registration had recently been made to the Care Quality Commission. The provider confirmed that the Local Authority had been notified and they were assisting the service to find alternative domiciliary care providers for existing care packages to transfer to. It was envisaged that the service would close on 11 October 2015.

Proper recruitment checks had not been completed on all staff before they commenced working at the service. Recruitment practices were not safe and had not been operated in line with the provider’s own policy and procedures. Formal arrangements were not in place to ensure that newly employed staff received a comprehensive and robust induction.

The systems in place to deal with comments and complaints required improvement as there was little evidence to show how actions, decisions and outcomes of concerns raised had been made. The provider did not have an effective and proactive quality monitoring and assurance system in place to ensure that the service performed to an appropriate standard so as to drive improvement.

Appropriate arrangements were in place to manage risks to people’s safety. Risks for people had been identified or anticipated and there were sufficient staff available to meet people’s care and support needs. People received their medicines at the times they needed them and people’s healthcare needs were managed well and they received appropriate nutrition and hydration each day.

Staff had received applicable training to enable them to deliver care and support to people who used the service. Formal arrangements were in place to ensure that staff were supported and received formal supervision.

People spoke positively about the way staff treated them and reported that they received appropriate care. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge and understanding of the people they cared for and supported. People told us that their personal care and support was provided in a way which maintained their privacy and dignity. We found that people’s care plans reflected current information to guide staff on the most appropriate care people required to meet their needs.

You can see what actions we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

6 May 2015

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 23 January, 25 January, 28 January and 29 January 2015. A breach of legal requirements was found. This was because the provider did not have suitable arrangements in place to effectively monitor and assess the quality and safety of the service provided.

After the comprehensive inspection, the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breach. We undertook a focused inspection on 6 May 2015 to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements.

This report only covers our findings in relation to this requirement. You can read the report of our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Medic2 UK Limited – Basildon on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Medic2 UK Limited Basildon provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of this inspection there were 34 people using the service.

A registered manager was 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.

At our focused inspection on 6 May 2015, we found that since our last inspection, systems had been put in place to support the provider’s quality assurance processes. However, further work was needed to ensure that the systems and processes used to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service provided continued to improve the care people received.

Complaints and concerns had not been appropriately recorded to show that these had been investigated thoroughly or recorded the actions taken, in line with the provider’s policy and procedure.

Although staff training was underway, further monitoring was required to ensure that all staff received suitable training for the safety of people who used the service.

Regular management team meetings were now in place however improvements were required to ensure records were kept to evidence actions taken.

23 January 2015, 25 January 2015, 28 January 2015 and 29 January 2015

During a routine inspection

Medic2 UK Limited Basildon provides personal care and support to people in their own homes.

The inspection was completed on 23 January 2015, 25 January 2015, 28 January 2015 and 29 January 2015. The inspection was carried out in response to concerns raised about the service. At the time of the inspection there were 43 people who used the service.

A registered manager was 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.

Although people told us they felt safe, some people told us that they lacked confidence in the organisation. Staffing levels were not always suitable to meet people’s needs. The majority of people told us that they had experienced missed and/or late visits.

Improvements were required to ensure that people received their medicines at the times they needed them, and in a safe way.

Not all staff had received appropriate training to enable them to deliver care and support to people who used the service safely and to an appropriate standard. Formal arrangements were not in place to ensure that newly employed staff received a comprehensive induction, supervision or appraisal.

We found that not all of a person’s healthcare needs were recorded and there were no instructions recorded for staff about how to meet these.

The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and to report on what we find. The provider was not meeting the requirements of the law.

Although people told us that they were treated with kindness and consideration by staff, not all staff demonstrated a good knowledge and understanding of the people they cared for and supported.

People and those acting on their behalf told us that their personal care and support was provided in a way which maintained their privacy and dignity. We found that people’s care plans did not always reflect current information to guide staff on the most appropriate care people required to meet their needs.

The systems in place to deal with comments and complaints required improvement as there was little evidence to show how actions, decisions and outcomes of concerns raised had been made. In addition, not all concerns or complaints raised had been logged.

The provider and manager did not have an effective and proactive quality monitoring and assurance system in place to ensure that the service performed safely and to an appropriate standard so as to drive improvement.

You can see what actions we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

28 January and 6 February 2014

During a routine inspection

Our inspection consisted of a visit to the Medic2 Uk Limited office on 28 January 2014. During the week commencing 03 February 2014, an 'expert by experience' contacted 14 people by telephone who received care from the care agency. In total the views of 14 people who used the service and/or those acting on their behalf were taken. People who used the service and/or those acting on their behalf told us that they were very happy with the care and support provided by staff and that their care and support needs were met. Comments included, "Happy with carers and service," and "Very caring carers."

Records viewed showed that support plans covered all aspects of a person's individual circumstances. The provider had appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that people who used the service were protected from abuse and any allegation of abuse was responded to appropriately. Staff received training in core subject areas and were regularly supervised. Improvements were required to ensure that staffs training was up to date. People who used the service were confident that their comments and complaints were listened to and acted on.

7 January 2013

During a routine inspection

Those people spoken with had been receiving a service from Medic 2 between two and six months. They said they had been part of the assessment and care plan process and their choices had been taken into consideration. They added that they had been able to make decisions about their care and how they wanted this to be provided.

People using the service told us that they had had contact with management and that they were able to express their views about the service. They had been made aware of the complaints procedure and confirmed they had received written documentation during the assessment.

There were systems and procedures in place to help staff identify concerns and respond appropriately to the signs and allegations of abuse. People spoken with added that they felt safe with the staff and that they considered them well trained.

People we spoke with were complimentary about the service and made positive comments. Comments included 'We are very very happy', 'They are always on time', 'They are lovely girls who come' and 'We are happy with the service.'

4 January 2012

During a routine inspection

The people with whom we spoke were happy with the care they received from Medic 2. They did not raise any concerns and provided positive comments about the staff and the care they received. They confirmed they had been involved in the assessment process and their care had been discussed with them. They had also been involved in decisions on how their care is provided.

People stated that they felt they could approach staff and management if they had any concerns and confirmed they had received a copy of the company's complaint procedure.