Archived: One to One Community Care

Updated 9 January 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.’

This comprehensive inspection took place on 14 and 23 November 2017 and was announced. We gave short notice of the inspection in line with our methodology, as it was a domiciliary care agency and we required the appropriate staff to be available. The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspectors 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.

Prior to the inspection visit we gathered information from a number of sources. We looked at the provider information return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We looked at notifications sent to the Care Quality Commission by the provider. We also obtained the views of service commissioners, healthcare professionals and the local authority safeguarding team.

At the time of our inspection there were 20 people who used the service. During our inspection we visited two people in their own homes with the registered provider. The expert by experience spoke on the telephone with four people who used the service and four relatives of people who used the service. We spoke with the registered provider and four support workers..

We looked at documentation relating to three people who used the service and three staff, as well as the management of the service. This included people’s care records, medication records, staff recruitment, training and support files, as well as minutes of meetings, quality audits, policies and procedures.

Updated 9 January 2018

At the last inspection in June 2015 the service was rated Good.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for ‘One to One community Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk’

At this inspection on 14 and 23 November 2017 we found the service remained Good. The service met all relevant fundamental standards.

One to One Community Care is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care. The service supports people within a ten mile radius of their office location in the Crookes area of Sheffield. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 20 people and employed seven care staff.

The registered manager had decided to step down and was in the process of de-registering. The registered provider had taken over the management of the service. 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.

Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable regarding signs of potential abuse and how to recognise abuse. They were also aware of the reporting procedures.

Assessments in care files identified risks to people and management plans were in pace to reduce risks, However, some of these were not up to date and the provider was reviewing all care files.

We received positive feedback from both the people we spoke with and their relatives. They all told us the service provided good care that was safe.

Recent recruitment procedures ensured the right staff were employed to meet people’s needs safely.

Medication systems were in place to ensure people received medication as prescribed and safely. Staff had received training to administer medications safely. However, systems were being improved at the time of our inspection. Infection, prevention and control procedures were in place to protect people.

There was sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. People and their relatives whom we spoke with told us that staff were always on time and they also had the same group of care staff who provided support.

Staff supported people to enable choice and control of their lives and people were supported in the least restrictive way possible. However documentation was being improved to support this at the time of our inspection.

Staff received training to be able to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Staff told us they were supported and received an annual appraisal.

People were supported in the community with meals and people told us staff offered choices and always made sure they had a drink.

We found the service meet the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff we spoke with had a satisfactory understanding and knowledge of this. However the registered provider was reviewing care files to ensure all documentation was up to date.

People told us they were treated with dignity and respect at all times. People told us that the staff that supported them were very kind and caring. People spoke highly of the staff that supported them and told us the service was excellent.

Staff we spoke with understood how to respect people’s preferences and ensure their privacy and dignity was maintained. People told us they received personalised care that met their needs.

There was a system in place to tell people how to raise concerns and how these would be managed. Relatives we spoke with told us if they had raised a concern it had been dealt with by the registered provider immediately.

The registered provider was reviewing and updating the systems to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. They were developing an action plans for any improvements required and these were to be discussed with staff.

Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and had access to policies and procedures to inform and guide them.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.