Updated 22 March 2019
The inspection:
• We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
• The inspection was carried out by 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, in this case services for older people and people who lived with a learning disability.
Service and service type:
• This service is a domiciliary care agency, which provides personal care to older people, young adults, people living with the experience of dementia, autism, learning disabilities and physical disabilities.
• This service also provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented, and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate the premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support provided by the service.
• The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection:
• We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection site visit because we needed to be sure arrangements could be made to meet with key staff and people who use the service.
What we did:
• Before the inspection we looked at information we held about the service
• We asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR.) This is key information providers are required to send about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.
• The law requires providers to notify us of certain events that happen during the running of a service. We reviewed notifications received since the last inspection.
• We spoke with five health and social care professionals who work with the service.
During the inspection:
• Inspection site visit activity was carried out on 11, 12 and 14 February 2019. We visited the office location on these dates to see the provider and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. On 11 and 12 February 2019 we completed four home visits.
• On 11 February 2019, the Expert by Experience spoke on the phone with 14 people who use the service, to find out about their experience of the quality of care provided.
• On 13 February 2019, we spoke with 16 people living in two ‘extra care’ housing services in Andover.
• We spoke with the registered manager, the provider’s higher management team, including the nominated individual. A nominated individual has responsibility for supervising the way that regulated activity is managed by a service. We spoke with 30 staff covering every role within the service, including the site managers of the ‘extra care’ services.
• We looked at the care records of 12 people.