Cherish Able Care Ltd

Updated 19 November 2019

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.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

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. The registered manager was the provider. For the purpose of the report we have referred to them as the registered manager.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure the office-based managers would be available for us to speak with during our inspection. This two-day inspection started on 23 October and ended on 28 October 2019.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This information included the statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events, which the service is required to send us by law. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

The registered manager was not available at the time of the inspection so this was facilitated by the care manager. This was conducted at the branch office on the first day of the inspection.

We looked at five people's care records, together with other records relating to care and the running of the service. On the second day of our inspection we spoke with four people who used the service, a relative and five staff members.

Updated 19 November 2019

About the service

Cherish Able Care is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, 43 people were using the service. Twelve people who used the service did not receive any personal care from this domiciliary care agency. 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

The feedback we received from people was good. Staff we spoke with enjoyed working for the service and supporting people in the community. People and staff were happy to contribute to the inspection and share their views and experiences.

The service was safe and risks to people were managed well. Staff knew how to protect people from harm and had received safeguarding training. There were enough staff employed to help keep people safe and to meet their needs. We found that recruitment practices were safe and relevant checks were completed before staff started work at the service. There were systems in place to ensure medicines were managed safely. Staff followed the providers infection control policy and procedure to limit the risks of cross infection.

The service was effective in meeting people’s needs. Staff received regular supervision and support. The annual training programme equipped staff with essential skills and knowledge. Arrangements were made for people to see a GP and other healthcare professionals when they needed to do so. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of the support they required.

The service was caring and people were treated with kindness and respect. Staff were caring and spoke about people positively. They took an interest in the people they supported, including their life histories, the things they liked and didn't like and the people who were important to them. Independence was always encouraged and supported.

A responsive service was provided to meet people’s health and social needs. They received person-centred care and support. Regular monitoring and reviews meant that referrals had been made to appropriate health and social care professionals. Where necessary care and support had been changed to accurately reflect people's needs and improve their health and wellbeing. The service supported people who wanted to die at home with the support of other community health professionals. People were encouraged to make their views known and the service responded by making changes.

The service was well led. People received a good standard of care because the management team led by example and had expectations about the standards of care people should receive. Staff were enthusiastic and happy in their work. They felt supported within their roles. Staff described working together as a team, they provided person-centred care and helped people to achieve their potential. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and the care people received.

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

Rating at the last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 23 March 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 inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.