Dove Caring Ltd

Dove Caring Limited is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care and support for adults living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing support for two people. The service covered Nottingham and the surrounding areas.

People’s experience of using this service:

The provider had improved their systems that were in place to monitor and review the quality of care people received. This was an improvement from our last inspection and the provider was no longer in breach of Regulation 17 HSCA (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 Good governance.

Safe recruitment procedures were now followed and appropriate pre-employment checks were made. This was an improvement from our last inspection and the provider was no longer in breach of Regulation 19 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 Fit and proper persons employed.

People were very satisfied with all aspects of the service provided and spoke highly of both care staff and the registered manager. People who used the service told us they were treated with compassion and kindness and that their privacy and dignity were respected.

Risks to people’s safety had been assessed so they were supported to stay safe while their freedom was respected. Staff had received training in keeping people safe. There were systems and processes to safeguard people from situations in which they may experience abuse including physical harm.

Staff had received all the training required to support people safely but did not receive regular supervision and annual appraisals.

Care files had improved since our last inspection. They contained more detail and included personal histories and files were reviewed regularly.

People were protected by there being arrangements to prevent and control infection. People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their nutritional needs.

People had been supported to live healthier lives by being supported to have suitable access to healthcare services so that they received on-going healthcare support.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The service regularly visited people in their homes and sought feedback about the service they received.

No complaints had been received in the last 12 months. People had access to information about lay advocates if necessary.

The service had a small staff team of two care staff and a registered manager. All staff delivered care calls.

Good team work was promoted and care staff were supported to speak out if they had any concerns about people not being treated in the right way. Staff were clear about the vision and values of the service. In addition, the registered manager worked in partnership with other agencies to support the development of joined-up care.

More information is available in the full report.

Rating at last inspection:

Requires improvement June 2018.

Why we inspected:

This was a follow up inspection as the previous inspection found there were breaches of our Regulations. There was a breach of Regulation 17 HSCA (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 Good governance and a breach of Regulation 19 HSCA (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 Fit and proper persons employed.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

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

This is the first inspection under Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

This inspection was announced and took place on 2, 15, 16 May 2018. On several occasions we tried to meet with the registered manager at the registered office but she was unavailable due to personal commitments. At the time of our inspection, four people were receiving personal care.

People's needs were assessed, but records to evidence this were not always available in people’s homes. Risks associated with personal care were not adequately identified. Appropriate protective measures were not put in place to minimise the risk of avoidable harm. Not all care plans were reviewed and updated regularly to reflect people's changing needs.

The provider could not assure themselves that medicines were being managed in accordance with current regulations and guidance. Care plans were unclear about the level of support people needed with medicines, and there was no system in place to ensure that people received medicines as prescribed.

Although all staff received training to ensure they had up to date skills and knowledge to provide effective care. Staff felt supported but they had not received regular supervision with their manager. All staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA), but not all care staff understood this meant for people.

The provider did not have adequate systems in place to monitor and review the quality of care people received. The provider was aware of these concerns and was developing an action plan to resolve these concerns.

This was a breach of Regulation 17 HSCA (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 Good governance.

Safe recruitment procedures were not followed and appropriate pre-employment checks were not always made. Recruitment files were difficult to follow; however we noted some checks were undertaken to ensure new staff were safe to work in the care sector.

This was a breach of Regulation 19 HSCA (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 Fit and proper persons employed.

People were able to make their own choices about their personal care and were involved in planning and reviewing their care. There were sufficient staff to meet people's personal care needs at the time when they needed support. People’s nutritional needs were met. Staff worked within the principles of the Equality Act 2010 to make sure their work practice did not discriminate against people. There was no information about independent advocacy services for people to contact.

People were safe. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding but not all were confident in how to raise concerns. Staff had received regular training to make sure they stayed up to date with recognising and reporting safety concerns. The service had systems in place to notify the appropriate authorities.

There was a complaints process in place, and people were encouraged to express their views about the service. People and relatives felt confident to make suggestions for improvement of care or raise concerns. People and their relatives felt the service was well-led and staff spoke positively about the support they received from the management.

We found breaches of regulations as a result of this inspection. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.