Caring People

Updated 14 March 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 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 comprehensive inspection was carried out between 19 and 22 February 2019. The inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure the management would be in the office. The inspection team consisted of one inspector and 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. The Expert by Experience made phone calls to people who used the service and their relatives.

Before the inspection we reviewed other information we held about the service and the provider. This included statutory notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are reports about changes, event or incidents the provider is legally obliged to send to CQC within required timescales. We contacted the local authority commissioners for the service, the local authority safeguarding team and the clinical commissioning group (CCG).

During the inspection we spoke with six people who used the service about the care they received and two relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, the care coordinator, one member of the finance team and three care staff.

We looked at the care records of two people who used the service and the personnel files of three members of staff. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 14 March 2019

Caring People is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care to people who live in their own homes in Redditch. There were 29 people using the service at the time of this inspection.

This comprehensive inspection was carried out between 19 and 22 February 2019.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People and their relatives felt the service provided by Caring People was safe. Staff understood how to report any safeguarding concerns and felt the registered manager would act on their concerns. The provider carried out recruitment checks to make sure only suitable staff were employed. Appropriate numbers of staff were in place to support people. People were supported with their medicines by staff who were appropriately trained and had their competency to administer medicines checked regularly.

Staff said they felt supported and received regular supervision and annual appraisals. Training was up to date and refreshed regularly. Staff assisted people with their eating and drinking needs where necessary. The service worked with other health and social care professionals where relevant. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People felt staff were caring and gave positive comments about their relationships with staff who supported them. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. They helped people to maintain as much independence as possible.

People received personalised support and were involved in planning their support. People were provided with information about what to expect from the service, their rights and the complaints procedure.

People, relatives and staff said the management team were approachable. The provider had a system in place to gain the views and opinions of people who used the service. The registered manager carried out a number of checks to monitor the quality of the service.