Archived: Domus Extra Care Ltd

Domus Extra Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency that specialises in providing live-in care services. At this service, the provider contracts staff (known as carers) to live with people in their homes, providing personal care and support as required. 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. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were safe using this service. Carers were trained to safeguard people from abuse and knew how to minimise identified risks to people’s safety. They followed current practice when providing personal care and when preparing and handling food which reduced hygiene risks

There were enough carers available to meet people’s needs. Managers carried out recruitment checks to make sure carers were suitable and fit to support people. Carers were provided with relevant training to help them meet people’s needs. Managers supported them to review and improve their working practices so that people experienced high quality care and support.

People received the care and support that had been planned and agreed with them. People’s preferences for how this was provided were respected and carers delivered this in line with their wishes. People were encouraged to pursue their interests and hobbies. Carers knew people well and understood how their needs should be met. Managers checked with people at regular intervals, the care and support provided was meeting their needs.

Carers were kind and caring. They supported people in a dignified, respectful way which maintained their privacy and independence. People had a choice about who they received care and support from. Managers made sure wherever possible this was from the same carers, so this was provided in a consistent way. 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 were encouraged to stay healthy and keep well. They were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their needs and to take their prescribed medicines. Carers understood people’s healthcare needs and how they should be supported with these in a timely and appropriate way. They worked well with other healthcare professionals involved in people’s care. When people became unwell, help was sought for them promptly.

People and their relatives had no concerns about the care and support provided. They knew how to make a complaint if they needed to. Managers monitored and reviewed the quality of service that people experienced. They undertook regular checks on carers to make sure they were carrying out their duties appropriately and to a high standard. Managers sought people’s views about how the service could improve.

There were arrangements in place to make sure any accidents, incidents and complaints would be fully investigated and people would be involved and informed of the outcome.

Managers understood their responsibility for meeting regulatory requirements. They worked proactively with other agencies and acted on their recommendations to design the care and support provided to people.

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 July 2017).

Why we inspected

This inspection was planned based on the previous rating of ‘Good’.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned in line with our inspection schedule or in response to concerns.

This inspection was carried out on 19 May 2017. We gave the service short notice of the inspection because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or visiting people that use the service. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

There was a manager in post who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

People were protected from abuse and harm by staff that knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and report any concerns. Risks to individuals’ wellbeing and safety had been assessed and minimised. Staff knew how to reduce the risk of spreading infection when providing care.

People had their health needs met and were supported to access health care professionals as needed. They were provided with support to eat and drink well to meet their needs. People’s medicines were managed safely.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People were provided with staff that knew them well and worked with them regularly. Staff were provided with the training and qualifications they needed to care for people safely and effectively. Staff were appropriately supervised and supported in their roles.

People were asked for their consent before care was provided. The registered provider complied with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, but one assessment of a person’s capacity had not been properly recorded. We have made a recommendation about this.

Staff were kind and caring and had developed positive relationships with the people they supported and their families. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and promoted their right to privacy. People were enabled to remain as independent as possible.

People were provided with personalised and flexible care. They were asked their views about how their care should be provided and these were included in their care plan. People’s views about the quality of the service were sought and suggestions were acted upon. People knew how make a complaint if they needed to and complaints were handled in a transparent and honest way.

The registered manager provided effective leadership and was aware of the risks and areas for development within the service. Effective quality assurance systems were used to identify shortfalls and action was taken to address these.