Background to this inspection
Updated
19 August 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 an inspector.
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. 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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us. Inspection activity started on 24 June 2021 and ended on 23 July 2021. We visited the office location on 24 June 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 and professionals who work with the service. 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.
We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We reviewed a range of records. This included six care plans, complaints records and quality assurance audits. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke with three people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, other management staff and support staff. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.
Updated
19 August 2021
About the service
Care Select is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to approximately 75 people 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
People and their families told us without exception they felt safe with the staff team with staff and management being reliable and supportive. They told us staff supported them with medicines in a timely manner and were equipped to ensure personal protective equipment (PPE) was used at all times during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. New staff underwent appropriate recruitment checks to ensure their suitability to support vulnerable adults.
People told us that while they had not had to make a complaint; they were aware of how to do this and were confident that their concerns would be listened to and acted upon. People were aware of the contents of their support plans. They had the opportunity to contribute to these and to influence their support. These plans were person-centred and regularly updated when and if needs changed. The limitations some people had with their senses were taken into account within support plans and in staff interactions.
The governance of the service had improved following our last visit. People felt as though they were supported by a well-led service and were complimentary of the staff and the management team. They were involved in commenting about their care on a regular basis. Staff felt supported and that the management team listened to them. Staff practice was monitored regularly and despite pandemic restrictions; staff had maintained contact with their respective manager.
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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
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 requires improvement (published 3 April 2020).The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Care Select on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.