We carried out a review of the data available to us about Kirby Care Ltd on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Kirby Care Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
Office is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to older people living their own homes. At the time of the inspection 32 people were receiving personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received safe care. Staff understood safeguarding procedures.
Risk assessments were in place to manage risks within people’s lives.
Staff recruitment procedures ensured that appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out.
Staffing support matched the level of assessed needs within the service during our inspection.
Staff were trained to support people effectively.
Staff were supervised well and felt confident in their roles.
When required, people were supported with food and drink and to have a varied diet.
When required, staff ensured people’s healthcare needs were met, and people had access to health professionals as required.
People's consent was gained before any care was provided, and they were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives.
Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect and spent time getting to know them.
People were supported in the least restrictive way possible.
Care plans reflected people likes dislikes and preferences.
People and their family were involved in their own care planning as much as was possible.
A complaints system was in place and was used effectively.
The registered manager was open and honest, and worked in partnership with outside agencies to improve people’s support when required
The service had a registered manager in place, and staff felt well supported by them.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
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 (report published 5/4/2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
The service had 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Robust recruitment processes had not always been followed to ensure the suitability of people who worked at the service.
Support workers were aware of what they could and could not do with regards to people’s medicines. However, records of medicines to be prompted or assistance with specific medicines had not always been included in people’s plans of care.
We found that whilst some risks associated with people’s care and support had been assessed, other risks had not.
People had been visited prior to their care and support package commencing and an initial assessment had been completed. Whilst some assessments were more comprehensive than others, the support workers were all well aware of the individual needs of those they were supporting.
Plans of care had been developed, though these did not always include all of the tasks that the support workers were required to complete. Although they didn’t include all the tasks, support was being provided by regular support workers. These support workers knew the needs of the people they were supporting well and knew to carry out the tasks that had been omitted from the paperwork.
People told us they felt very safe with the support workers who supported them. They told us they were well looked after and relatives we spoke with agreed with this. Support workers were aware of their responsibilities for keeping people safe and knew what to do if they had a concern of any kind.
Support workers had been provided with an induction into the service and training was being completed. Support workers we spoke with felt very much supported by the registered manager and deputy manager. They told us there was always someone available to speak with should they need any help or guidance.
People told us that the support workers always asked for their consent before they provided their care and support. The support workers we spoke with understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and training on this subject was being completed.
We were told that the staff team were caring, kind and considerate and people’s care and support was always carried out in a dignified and respectful way.
People using the service knew what to do if they had a concern of any kind. They explained that they had been given the contact details of the registered manager and were confident that any issues would be immediately addressed by them.
The registered manager explained that they monitored the service on a daily basis and asked the people using the service for their thoughts on the service they received. The people using the service and their relatives confirmed this. The monitoring systems that were in place had not always been formally recorded.