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Archived: Cheviot Care Limited

Overall: Inadequate read more about inspection ratings

15 High Fair, Wooler, Northumberland, NE71 6PA (01668) 282353

Provided and run by:
Cheviot Care Limited

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 11 September 2021

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 Care Quality Commission. The registered manager was also the provider. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We announced the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager/provider would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 14 April 2021 and ended on 29 April 2021. We visited the office location on 14 and 15 April 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and three relatives by telephone about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager/provider, a director and a care worker.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records, medicines records, one staff member’s recruitment file and all staff training files.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager/provider to validate evidence found.

Overall inspection

Inadequate

Updated 11 September 2021

About the service

Cheviot Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes in Wooler. There were seven people receiving personal care at the time of the inspection.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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

At our previous inspection we identified multiple breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. At this inspection, we found that insufficient action had been taken to improve.

There were continued shortfalls relating to recruitment, the assessment of risk, care records and staff training. New shortfalls were identified in relation to medicines management and records relating to the Mental Capacity Act [2005]. The provider’s governance system had not highlighted these issues.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. However, records did not always evidence this.

Action had been taken in relation to the provider’s safeguarding system. Staff had undertaken safeguarding training and knew how to report any safeguarding concerns. Infection control and COVID-19 training had also been carried out. Staff were knowledgeable about how to put on and take off PPE safely to reduce the risk of cross infection. One relative said, “When I have gone into the house unexpectedly they are wearing masks, aprons and gloves and I know when they take [relative] shopping, both the carer and [relative] are wearing masks as I see them when I am out and they pass me by in the car.”

Although we identified shortfalls in many aspects of the service, people and relatives spoke very positively about the care and support provided. Comments included, “They are very patient in fact marvellous with me whilst caring for me” and “I would recommend this company to anyone looking for good reliable care.”

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection (and update)

The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 12 January 2021) and there were multiple breaches of the regulations.

The provider has failed to achieve a rating of good at the last five inspections.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to check that improvements had been made and confirm whether they now met legal requirements.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment, recruitment, training and good governance.

Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Follow up

The overall rating for this service remains ‘Inadequate’ and the service therefore remains in ‘special measures’. This means we will keep the service under review and, if we do not propose to cancel the provider’s registration, we will re-inspect within 6 months to check for significant improvements.

If the provider has not made enough improvement within this timeframe and there is still a rating of inadequate for any key question or overall rating, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures. This will mean we will begin the process of preventing the provider from operating this service. This will usually lead to cancellation of their registration or to varying the conditions the registration.

For adult social care services, the maximum time for being in special measures will usually be no more than 12 months. If the service has demonstrated improvements when we inspect it and it is no longer rated as inadequate for any of the five key questions, it will no longer be in special measures.