Background to this inspection
Updated
29 December 2015
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.
This inspection took place on 7 and 8 December 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure staff would be available for us to talk to, and that records would be accessible. The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.
Prior to this inspection we reviewed all the information we held about the service, including data about safeguarding and statutory notifications. Statutory notifications are information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We spoke with the local authority and one healthcare professional, to gain their feedback as to the care that people received.
We spoke with four people who used the service and one relative. We also spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager, and three members of care staff.
We looked at four people’s care records to see if they were reflective of their current needs. We reviewed three staff recruitment files, staff duty rotas and staff training records. We also looked at further records relating to the management of the service, including quality audits, in order to ensure that robust quality monitoring systems were in place.
Updated
29 December 2015
Lincolns Care Ltd is registered to provide personal care to people who live in their own homes and supported living services. At the time of our inspection 11 people were receiving personal care.
The inspection was announced and took place on 7 and 8 December 2015.
The service had a registered manager in post. 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 were protected from harm or abuse by staff that were aware of the principles of safeguarding and reporting procedures.
Risk assessments were in place and risks to people were managed appropriately. Accidents and incidents were recorded should these arise, and the cause analysed, so that preventative action could be taken to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.
Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. Safe recruitment processes were in place.
Safe arrangements were in place for the administration, recording and management of medicines.
There was regular staff training and supervision to ensure that staff had the right skills and knowledge for their roles.
The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. We found that people who used the service had capacity to make day-to-day decisions.
People were provided with nutritional support if this was an assessed part of their package of care.
People were content with the care they received from staff. They were treated with kindness and compassion.
Staff understood people’s privacy and dignity needs. They were respectful of the decisions people made.
People had their support needs assessed and reviewed on a regular basis, so that staff knew how to support them to maintain their independence. Care plans contained person centred information.
The service had systems to obtain people’s feedback and provide them with opportunities to raise concerns.
There was an open and positive culture at the service, with a clear set of values which people, staff and the management all worked towards.
Quality control systems were in place to ensure care was delivered to a high standard and identify areas for development.