Archived: Your Care Direct Limited

Updated 23 February 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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 inspection took place on 6 January 2016 and was announced.

The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a homecare care services and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and one expert by experience. 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. Their area of expertise was caring for older people.

We reviewed the information we held about the service and looked at the notifications they had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. No concerns about the quality or safety of the service had been shared by the local authority or Healthwatch.

We spoke with two people about their experience of the service and two relatives via the telephone. We spoke with the provider, the acting manager, the establishment co-ordinator and three care assistants.

We looked at four care records, three staff recruitment files, staff training records, surveys completed by people who used the service. We also looked at the quality audit checks completed by the acting manager.

Updated 23 February 2016

This inspection took place on 6 January 2016 and was announced.

Your Care Direct Ltd provides personal care for people in their own home. There were 17 people receiving services for which CQC registration was required at the time we inspected.

There was not a registered manager was in post at the time of our inspection. However the acting manager had started the process to become registered with CQC. 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.

People told us they felt safe in the company of care staff and in the way they cared for them. Risk assessments were in place to manage people’s individual risks, so people could be cared for safely. There were enough care staff employed to care for people using the service. Some people chose to look after their own medicines and just wanted care staff to remind them to take it. This was respected. Where people needed help to take their medicines, care staff were trained to ensure these were managed appropriately.

Care staff had the skills and knowledge to care for people effectively. Care staff were trained to meet the individual needs of the people they supported.Care staff knew people’s individual preferences and histories, so they could provide care the way people preferred. People had been involved in making decisions about their care , through care planning and reviews. All care staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) ensuring they sought people’s consent prior to delivering care.

Care staff knew people’s individual preferences and histories, so they could provide care the way people preferred. People had been involved in making decisions about their care , through care planning and reviews. All care staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) ensuring they sought people’s consent prior to delivering care.

People were encouraged to maintain their independence, care staff offered them choices about what they wanted to eat and drink. Care Staff were aware of people’s dietary requirements. People were supported by care staff to maintain their health.

People received care from care staff who took time to get to know them. People had developed good relationships with care staff who were caring. Care staff supported people to maintain their dignity and people were confident that care staff respected their right to confidentiality.

The acting manager, provider and senior staff regularly met with people to ensure people were receiving care in the way they preferred and changes made accordingly. Complaints were investigated and lessons learned. People and their relative’s opinions on the quality of the service was sought through customer satisfaction surveys, so the provider use this information, share with care staff and develop the service. Quality checks were performed by the acting manager to monitor and improve the service.