We carried out a review of the data available to us about Gozone Care Ltd on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Gozone Care Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
Gozone Care Ltd is a is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care for people living in their own homes. The agency supports people with a variety of needs, including dementia, mental health and sensory impairment. At the time of this inspection, 86 people were receiving personal care support from the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People expressed frustrations over inconsistency in call times and staff continuity which was a particular issue at weekends and in the evening, however they spoke positively about the service received. The registered manager was well aware of these concerns and had taken steps to restrict new packages of care and to recruit new care workers.
People received their medicines safely but records of administration were not always complete. The registered manager had identified this issue and was introducing new audits of medicine records to be carried out by care-coordinators.
The registered manager had not notified the Commission of significant events involving people who used the service. This is a requirement of the registration regulations.
These were areas requiring improvement.
Care staff were well informed about risks to people's health or wellbeing and knew how to deliver their care safely. People were protected from the risk of infection. Everyone we spoke with felt safe in the company of staff.
Care was personalised to meet people's needs. Care plans provided detailed information and guidance for staff on people's care and support needs, likes and dislikes, and the way they wanted to receive personal care.
People spoke positively about the staff who supported them and had confidence in their skills and
experience. A relative told us, “We've found all of the Gozone carers to be very helpful and friendly.” Staff had regular supervisions and an annual appraisal.
Staff supported people to access a range of healthcare professionals and support. Staff collaborated with other professionals to ensure people’s needs were met.
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.
We observed positive and caring relationships between people and staff. People were encouraged to be involved in decisions relating to their care and were treated with dignity and respect. One person told us, “I’m very happy with the carers, they are very good and would do anything for you.”
People's communication needs were identified and planned for. People expressed confidence they could raise any issues or concerns with the office and these would be addressed.
People were encouraged in their involvement and development of the service and their feedback was valued. Quality assurance systems were in place to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement.
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 7 August 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.
The service had a registered manager in post. 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.
This was our first inspection to the service since it was registered in June 2016.
People were happy with the service provided to them and said they felt safe. There were policies and procedures with regard to safeguarding. Staff were aware about how to report any concerns. There were risk assessments in place which were regularly reviewed to help ensure people received a safe service. People received their medicines safely.
Staffing numbers were sufficient to meet people’s needs and thorough recruitment processes were conducted to check that any newly appointed staff were suitable to work with people.
Each person had a care plan and a copy of this was at their home. These gave staff the information about people’s care and support needs. An information pack was also provided which contained contact details for any relevant people. People also received a copy of the service users guide so people knew what they could expect from the service.
The agency provided staff with suitable training. Staff told us that training was readily available and the induction, which included a number of shadowing shifts gave them the confidence to work on their own. The registered manager told us staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Staff confirmed they had training and understood the basic principle of the legislation. This helped to protect people’s rights.
People’s care plans had information should anyone need support with eating and drinking and the care plan provided staff with details of how they should support people to ensure adequate food and fluid intake. People’s healthcare needs were monitored by staff and any concerns were reported to the office so that appropriate action could be taken.
People were positive about the staff who supported them. They said staff were respectful and polite and they were always treated with dignity and respect. Staff told us that they respected people’s decisions and said they encouraged people to be as independent as possible.
People told us that they received regular care visits but the only problems they experienced was the timings of some care calls which were early or late. However they said this did not impact on the care they received. The provider recognised this as an area for improvement. People and records confirmed that care staff stayed for the full allocated time. Staff said they were given time to travel between care calls. They also told us that they were able to carry out care tasks within the time allocated to them for each visit.
People told us they were provided with contact details of how to contact the main office if they had any concerns. They also knew how to contact the office out of working hours. Each person had a copy of the agency's complaints procedure in their care plan files which was kept at their home.
Gozone Care Ltd had a policy and procedure for quality assurance. There were a range of audits and checks carried out each month. These checks and audits helped the provider and registered manager to monitor how the agency was meeting people’s needs and how they could improve the service on offer. The registered manager told us they were always open to suggestions on how they service provided to people could be improved.