Archived: Direct Personnel Agency Limited

Updated 20 December 2019

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.

Inspection team:

Our inspection was conducted by a single inspector.

Service and service type:

Direct Personnel Agency Limited is a domiciliary care service, registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes in the community.

The service had two managers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This means they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service two working days' notice of the inspection visit. This was because we needed to be sure that senior staff would be available to support the inspection. We visited the office on 4 November 2019 to interview staff and to review care records and other documentation. On 6 November, we telephoned people who used the service to seek their feedback.

What we did:

In planning our inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service. This included any notifications (events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about). We also used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During our inspection we spoke with four people to ask about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with three relatives, both registered managers and two members of the care team.

We reviewed a range of written records including four people’s care plans, four staff recruitment files and information relating to the auditing and monitoring of service provision.

Updated 20 December 2019

About the service:

Direct Personnel Agency Limited is a domiciliary care service. It is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes in the community, including older people and people living with dementia. The service operates in various locations in Lincolnshire. At the time of our inspection, approximately 20 people were receiving a personal care service.

People’s experience of using this service:

The provider was exceptionally kind and caring and often went far beyond formal contractual requirements to promote people's welfare and happiness. Staff at all levels understood people’s individual care needs and preferences and used this knowledge to provide them with flexible, responsive support.

Staff worked in a non-discriminatory way and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and independence. The provider took care to involve people and their relatives in planning and reviewing their care and to deploy staffing resources in accordance with their individual preferences. People were provided with food and drink of their choice which met their nutritional requirements.

Training and supervision systems were in place to provide staff with the knowledge and skills they required to meet people’s needs effectively. Staff worked together in a mutually supportive way and communicated effectively with a range of external organisations.

Systems were in place to ensure effective infection prevention and control and people's medicines were managed safely in line with their individual needs and preferences. Staff worked collaboratively with local health and social care services to ensure people had access to any support they required.

Staff were aware of people’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and supported people to have maximum choice and control of their lives, in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People’s individual risk assessments were reviewed and updated to take account of changes in their needs. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns to keep people safe from harm.

The service was well-managed and well-led. The registered managers provided open, supportive leadership and were respected and appreciated by their team. A range of audits was in place to monitor the quality and safety of service provision. There was organisational learning from significant events and any complaints were managed effectively. The provider was committed to the continuous improvement of the service in the future.

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

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating for this service was Good (published 22 June 2017).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.