Background to this inspection
Updated
21 January 2020
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. 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 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.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a manager registered with the CQC. 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
This inspection was announced.
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 7 January 2020 and ended on 8 January 2020. We visited the office location on 7 January 2020.
What we did before the inspection
We looked at the information we held about the service. This information included statutory notifications the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We contacted the local commissioners for their views about the service; they had no concerns.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We visited the registered office and spoke with the registered manager, the provider, a training and recruitment manager and a carer. We also spoke with six people who used the service, five family members and four care staff on the telephone about their experience of the service.
We looked at the care plans and associated records for four people who used the service. We reviewed records relating to how the service was managed; these included staff training and recruitment records, six medication records, induction and supervision records, quality assurance systems and policies and procedures and responses from the recent customer satisfaction survey. We also looked at the outcome from the most recent commissioner’s report.
After the inspection
We reviewed information sent to us by the registered manager including medicine audits, training records and capacity assessments.
Updated
21 January 2020
About the service
Care Connect Homecare Services is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of the inspection there were 85 people using the service, 75 of them were receiving personal care.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe and were happy with the service they received. They said staff were kind, caring and friendly. Safeguarding adults’ procedures were in place and staff understood how to protect people from abuse. Recruitment processes ensured new staff were suitable to work for the agency. There were enough numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs in a punctual, consistent and flexible way and to ensure their safety. People received their medicines when they needed them from staff who had been trained and had their competency checked. We found the management of ‘as needed’ and external medicines was not consistent, however, the provider recognised the shortfalls and additional improvements were being made in relation to the process and to the auditing tool. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to retain their independence and receive support with minimum risk to themselves or others. Accidents and incidents were monitored and infection control processes were managed well.
People were given 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’s care and support needs were assessed prior to them using the service to ensure their needs could be met. Staff received ongoing training, supervision and support. People were supported at mealtimes in line with their support plan and staff worked in partnership with healthcare professionals, when needed.
Management and staff had developed friendly, caring and respectful relationships with people using the service and their families. People’s care was tailored to their needs and staff knew about their routines and preferences. People, or their family members, had been consulted about their care needs and had been involved in the care planning process. People had access to activities if this was in line with their care plan. People knew how to raise any complaints, concerns and compliments.
Improvements were being made to the way the quality of the service was monitored in areas such as medicines management and record keeping. When any shortfalls were noted, appropriate action had been taken. Staff received support from management team and they felt valued. People’s views and opinions of the service were sought and acted on.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 8 September 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.