E2K Care

E2K Care is a home care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides support to people with sensory impairments, physical disabilities, and those living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 29 people using the service.

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. There were 27 people who received support with personal care.

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

Recruitment files did not always contain all the information required. The provider acted straight away during the inspection and introduced a new oversight system. We have made a recommendation on recruitment practice. People told us they felt safe with kind and compassionate staff, and their needs were consistently met. Incidents, accidents, and safeguarding matters were recorded and acted upon. Risk assessments were in place to guide staff on how to support people safely and minimise risks. Staff employed good infection prevention and control practice. People received their medicines as prescribed, to support their health and wellbeing.

Whilst the provider had referred safeguarding concerns to the local authority for investigation, they had not also notified the CQC. Systems and processes were in place to ensure quality assurance across the service. However, gaps in recruitment files had not been identified. There was a positive and open learning culture. The management team were responsive to feedback, working well with other professionals to drive continuous improvement. People and staff were able to provide their views, and confident they would be acted upon.

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 18 June 2019).

At our last inspection we recommended the provider consult best practice guidance on the use of surveillance in people’s homes. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on this recommendation and made improvements.

Why we inspected

We received information of concern suggesting the provider had not always made statutory notifications relating to potential safeguarding matters. These are notifications required to be sent to the CQC by law. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for E2K Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement and recommendations.

We have identified breaches in relation to failure to notify the CQC of safeguarding matters at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report. We have also made a recommendation on best practice relating to recruitment.

Follow up

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

People’s experience of using this service:

Feedback from people and relatives was positive. They appreciated the continuity of care from regular staff. People told us staff never missed a call and, on the occasion that staff were later than normal, they were notified. This provided confidence in the service.

People told us staff were respectful, always treated them with dignity and were polite. A good feature of the service was that people were provided with a Service User Handbook containing information about the service, as well as photographs and names of all the staff employed by the service. Additionally, when new staff were recruited, people were sent a newsletter introducing the staff with photographs and names, which provided people with current information.

Satisfaction surveys were carried out for people, relatives and staff. The outcomes from these surveys were reviewed by the registered manager. The newsletter was one example of the service responding to feedback from the people, as they wanted to know when new staff were employed. This highlighted that the registered manager listened to the people using the service.

Care plans were comprehensive and person-centred, with a separate book for day to day entries made by staff. The registered manager conducted regular audits of the records, which ensured they were completed accurately. Staff received regular observational supervisions by the registered manager in people’s homes, which provided people with an opportunity to speak directly to the registered manager.

People felt safe and staff had a good knowledge of how to keep people safe from harm. Relatives told us staff always contacted them if there were any concerns. People confirmed they were confident staff would refer them to appropriate healthcare professionals if required, such as the GP if the person was unwell. Medicines were managed and recorded appropriately. People confirmed staff adhered to safe infection control practices by using gloves and aprons to prevent cross infection.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 18 October 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating at the last inspection.

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.

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

E2K care agency is a domiciliary care agency providing care and support to people in their own homes. The organisation offers support to people living in Braintree and the surrounding area. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 associate Regulations about how the service is run.

People were safe and staff knew what actions to take to protect them from abuse. The provider had processes in place to identify and manage risk.

People received care from a consistent staff team who were well supported and trained. Care staff understood the need to obtain consent when providing care.

The provider had systems in place to support people to take their prescribed medications safely.

People were supported with meals and to make choices about the food and drink they received. Staff supported people to maintain good health and access health care professionals when needed.

Assessments had been carried out and personalised care plans were in place which reflected individual needs and preferences. The provider had an effective complaints procedure and people had confidence that concerns would be investigated and addressed.

The service benefitted from a clear management structure and visible leadership. A range of systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service being delivered and drive improvement.