Updated 15 February 2023
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
This inspection was carried out by two inspectors.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. This information helps support our inspections.
We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
When we visited the office, we spoke to the registered manager, and a care co-ordinator who supports the registered manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included 5 people’s care and medication records. We looked at 5 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records in relation to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
Inspection activity started on 13 December 2022 and ended on 15 December 2022. We visited the location’s office location on 13 December 2022.
After the Inspection
After the inspection we spoke with 5 people who used the service and/or their relatives by telephone to get their views of the care provided. We also spoke to 5 staff members by telephone. We reviewed care records, support plans, medical charts, policies and other documentation that was sent to us electronically. We sought clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and infection control policies.