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Archived: Premier Carewaiting Limited

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

218 Olympic House, 28-42 Clements Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1BA (020) 8514 8347

Provided and run by:
Premier Carewaiting Limited

Important: This service is now registered at a different address - see new profile

All Inspections

11 July 2017

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on 11 and 20 July 2017. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service in people’s own homes and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to assist with the inspection.

Premier Carewaiting is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection they were providing a service to approximately 150 people.

The service has a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager is also the registered provider.

At our last inspection on 26 February and 23 March 2016 we found one breach of regulations. The provider had not notified the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of incidents which had occurred within the service as required by the CQC. Action had been taken and since that inspection the necessary notifications had been made.

Systems were in place to ensure that people received their prescribed medicines and medicines were administered by staff who were trained to do this. We have recommended that medicines records be changed in line with National Institute of Clinical excellence guidance to help to ensure safe practice and lessen the risk of error.

People were protected by the provider’s recruitment process which ensured that staff were suitable to work with people who need support. However, gaps in people’s employment history needed to be explored to make this process more robust.

People who used the service and their relatives were very happy with the quality of care provided by their regular carers but some people had experienced difficulties when these carers were not available.

The service began to support people who had been using another agency that closed. This meant that a number of new people and staff transferred to Premier Carewaiting all at the same time. This resulted in problems and difficulties for some people. This was being addressed by the provider and people were clear that the service was improving.

Staff supported people to make choices about their care. Systems were in place to ensure that their human rights were protected and that they received care and support in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Staff received the support and training they needed to give them the necessary skills and knowledge to meet people’s assessed needs, preferences and choices and to provide an effective service.

People were encouraged to maintain their skills and to be as independent as possible.

Systems were in place to support people with their nutritional needs.

The registered manager and management team monitored the quality of the service provided and sought feedback from people about the service.

Staff told us that they received good support from the management team. They were confident that any concerns raised would be addressed. People who used the service and their relatives knew how to complain and said that complaints had been taken seriously and addressed.

People were supported by caring staff who treated them with respect and kindness.

Care staff liaised with relevant health and social care practitioners and with relatives to support people with their healthcare needs.

26 February 2016

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on 26 February and 23 March 2016. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service in people’s own homes and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to assist with the inspection.

Premier Carewaiting is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection they were providing a service to approximately 100 people.

The service has a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager is also the registered provider

The provider had not notified the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of incidents which had occurred within the service as required by the CQC.

People who used the service and their relatives were very happy with the quality of care provided. They told us that they were supported by regular care staff who provided continuity of care.

Staff supported people to make choices about their care. Systems were in place to ensure that their human rights were protected and that they received care and support in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Systems were in place to ensure that people received their prescribed medicines safely and appropriately. Medicines were administered by staff who were trained to do this.

Staff received the support and training they needed to give them the necessary skills and knowledge to meet people’s assessed needs, preferences and choices and to provide an effective and responsive service.

People were protected by the provider’s recruitment process which ensured that staff were suitable to work with people who need support.

People were encouraged to maintain their skills and to be as independent as possible.

Systems were in place to support people with their nutritional needs.

The registered manager monitored the quality of the service provided and sought feedback from people about the service.

Staff told us that they received good support from the registered manager. They were confident that any concerns raised would be addressed. People who used the service and their relatives also felt able to talk to the registered manager and said that any issues were dealt with quickly.

People received a safe service. They were supported by caring staff who treated them with respect and kindness.

Care staff liaised with relevant health and social care practitioners and with relatives to support people with their healthcare needs.

We found one breach of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

14 February 2014

During a routine inspection

People told us that they were happy with the services and the staff. One person told us, "The staff have done more than we asked for." We looked at people's care records and found that they contained information about each person and that the needs of people were assessed. The care records we saw included risk assessments and support plans, detailing the activities to be carried out. People told us they were involved in putting together the support plans.

Staff told us that the provider was a good employer and supported them well in their professional development. We saw that staff had attended training that was appropriate for their needs and met the needs of people using the service. The provider followed due process in the appointment of staff and provided them with supervision and appraisal. One member of staff commented, "They are very good. Our clients are priority."

We saw that the provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of services, including on-site checks and an annual user survey. People who replied to the survey commented that they were satisfied with the services. One person added, "The people that come are brilliant."

The provider kept people's care records in good order and staff told us that they had access to them. One person told us, "We have the file in our house."

18 January 2013

During a routine inspection

People who use this service and their relatives told us that they were very happy with the care and support that the agency provided. One person said 'I am very happy with them. The agency and the workers are fantastic. They treat me with utter respect and I feel safe with them.' A healthcare professional told us 'I am really impressed with the agency. They place the person at the centre and try to provide care in a way that is appropriate for that person.'

People's care and welfare needs were being met and the service worked closely with other professionals to ensure that this was the case. A sheltered housing manager told us 'they help us to monitor that people are okay.'

Some staff assisted people with their medication and had received training and guidance to enable them to do this as safely as possible. A healthcare professional told us 'they always contact me if the patient refuses to take their medication.' People were receiving appropriate support with their medication.

People knew who to contact if they were not satisfied with the support they received. They told us that they had confidence that the service would deal with any issues that arose. One person told us 'when I had an issue I raised it with the manager. They took action to change things.'

6 December 2011

During a routine inspection

With the exception of one person, people who use the service were very happy with the care and support that they received from this agency. People said: 'They are very versatile. They're nice ladies and very good. I am comfortable with them and have confidence in them. They treat me with respect.' 'Care is very good and I am very pleased. My carer is very reliable. I am very comfortable with what the carer does. I have regular contact with the manager and care coordinator and they are always at the end of the phone. No issues.' 'Very good carer. Mostly one person and she's very reliable. She knows what she's doing.' 'I have a live in carer. She's good. She knows what she's doing. You can speak to the woman in charge if you need to and she rings from time to time to check if everything is okay.'

A relative said, 'We are very happy with the service. The carers are good and very caring. They are reliable and treat my mother with the dignity she deserves. They are such a help and we are so happy with them. They ring to check that things are okay. The manager is lovely and very caring. She's always in touch. Mum is safe with them. She had a terrible agency in the past and this one is so different.'

A social care worker said, 'Overall I feel that people have a really good quality of care from them. The manager is always on hand and will intervene quickly if needed. The manager really tries, she bends over backwards to help. Cases they take are quite complex and some of the work has been excellent.'

One person who uses the service was not happy with the care and support that they received or with the way in which the service dealt with this. The matter was referred to the local social services department and was partially substantiated. The provider agreed to take action to rectify matters. Social services told us that the agency had showed a willingness to take steps to improve their organisation. When we visited the agency we were satisfied that they had addressed most of the issues identified by the investigation and were working towards the remainder.