Updated 24 August 2023
The inspection
We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.
Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by 1 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.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we were carrying out an inspection using remote technologies and electronic file sharing.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since their last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and health and social care professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used information gathered as part of monitoring activity to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with the registered manager and the nominated individual, who is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with 13 people, 2 friends and 2 relatives. All staff were sent a questionnaire and we received feedback from 1 of them. We looked at 4 people’s care records. We reviewed variety of records relating to the management of the service, including medicines administration records, policies, and quality of the service.
This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as video calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation. Inspection activity started on 15 May and ended on 26 June 2023.