25 April 2016
During a routine inspection
Care2Care is a Domiciliary Care Agency (DCA) registered to provide personal care in people’s own homes. The agency office is based in Didcot. At the time of this inspection 132 people were supported by the agency.
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.
Medicines were not always recorded as administered. Risk assessments were in place which set out how to support people in a way that mitigated the risks they faced. There were enough staff working in the service to support people. Checks were carried out on staff before they began working at the service. Staff had the knowledge and training to recognise and report concerns to keep people safe.
People were supported by staff that had the training and support from their managers to deliver effective care and carry out their roles and responsibilities. The service operated within the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and consent to care was sought by staff before care was undertaken. People’s hydration and nutrition was well managed. People were supported to have access to health professionals where needed.
People had caring staff who took the time to get to know those they supported. People were provided with information about their care and privacy and dignity was respected and promoted.
People had been assessed to determine if the service was able to meet their needs. Care plans were accurate, up to date and contained personalised information about people’s care and emotional needs and relevant personal history. Regular reviews of people’s care needs had taken place. People knew how to complain and complaints were responded to in line with policy.
The registered manager promoted a positive culture that meant people had personalised care from staff that cared for them. The service was well managed with staff commenting how supported they felt and how much they enjoyed their jobs. Records were well kept and up to date which meant care was monitored closely. Quality assurance was monitored and actioned if changes or improvements were needed.