Nightingale Care Bideford

Updated 29 September 2022

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 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.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

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.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We used information gathered as part of monitoring activity to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people using the service and five relatives. We visited the office and spoke with the registered manager and two staff. We reviewed care and assessment records, staff recruitment and training, complaints and compliments records, reviewed the result of an annual survey and quality assurance records. We contacted 15 staff members by email for feedback and received 13 responses.

Updated 29 September 2022

About the service

Nightingale Care Bideford is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to adults living in their own homes. 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. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people using the service.

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

People felt safe with staff and found their visits reassuring and supportive. They told us staff were professional and the service was run by a dedicated and approachable registered manager. For example, a person using the service said, “They are a small very professional outfit with great prospects. The way they care is second to none.”

People were supported by staff who had been recruited safely. There were enough staff to meet people's needs and people told us staff arrived on time and were reliable. People said there was a consistent group of staff who knew them well.

People were supported by trained staff who could meet people’s care and well-being needs. For example, a person said, “I feel they are well-trained, and they are respectful, and I would recommend them to others.” People received their medicines in a safe manner and were protected from the risks of infection as staff followed safe and appropriate hygiene practices.

People's needs were fully assessed before care began. People's ability to make decisions about their own care and support had been assessed and people told us they were involved in their care plan. A relative said, “I was involved in mum’s care plan and they were very helpful” and a person using the service said, “I make my own decisions and (I) am involved in my care planning.”

The service worked well with external health professionals to provide good health outcomes for people. For example, a relative said, “Their communication with other services has been excellent.”

People and their relatives told us staff were caring and supported them in a personal way, respecting people's choices and staff treated them with kindness. This was reflected in all of the feedback we received. For example, a person said, “We don’t feel rushed or that they [staff] are impatient, they are considerate, caring, watchful and patient. They are incredibly kind and a joy to be around… I can’t speak highly enough of them.” Staff responses to our survey showed they understood their responsibility to ensure people understood and were involved in their care.

People and their relatives confirmed staff acted in a respectful manner when delivering personal care. A person said, “They have been brilliant, I can’t fault them. They treat me with respect, and they are also respectful to (relative) when (they) visit.” A relative said staff “do things the way he likes and respect his privacy and dignity.” People were supported with end of life care by experienced staff.

Records showed a genuine commitment by the registered manager to resolve and address concerns and complaints in a timely manner. Staff understood their responsibility to pass on concerns and complaints to the registered manager so they could be responded to in line with the service’s policy.

People benefited from a well-led and professional service, whose staff were reliable and caring, and the registered manager was committed to maintaining high standards and a personal service. Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the service and identify areas to improve. People and their relatives were encouraged to be involved in making decisions around their care and providing feedback. In their responses to an annual survey, they showed a strong connection to the success of the service.

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

Why we inspected

This service was registered with us on 4 February 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Follow up

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