Background to this inspection
Updated
28 February 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection team consisted of one 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 in the community.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced and took place on 11 February 2019. We gave the service notice of the inspection site visit to ensure the registered manager would be present and to ensure people's consent was gained for us to contact them for their feedback.
What we did:
We used information the provider sent to us in the Provider Information return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send to us at least once annually to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at information we held about the service, including notifications they had made to us about important events. We also reviewed all other information sent to us from other stakeholders, for example, the local authority and members of the public.
During the inspection, we spoke with five people using the service and seven relatives to ask about their experience of care. We spoke with the registered manager. We also spoke with the care coordinator, the field supervisor and three care staff.
We looked at the care records for four people, three staff employment related records and records relating to the quality and management of the service.
Details are in the Key Questions below.
Updated
28 February 2019
About the service:
This domiciliary care agency provides personal care to older people living in their own home. At the time of inspection 20 people were receiving personal care.
What life is like for people using this service:
People using the service and their relatives spoke positively about the kind and caring nature of staff who supported them and the positive relationships they had developed. People were treated with dignity and respect.
People had regular staff who knew how they liked to be supported. We saw staff responded to changes in people's needs and contacted the relevant health and social care professionals when required.
People told us they felt safe using the service and were confident with the knowledge and skills of the staff that supported them, especially with moving and handling procedures and managing their medicines.
People were well cared for by staff who treated them with respect and dignity and encouraged them to maintain their independence. People received care and support based on their individual assessment,
needs and preferences.
People and their relatives felt the care they received was personalised and that the provider listened to them and was flexible in accommodating their needs. Reviews were carried out if staff reported any changes to people's health conditions.
People and their relatives knew who to contact if they needed to make a complaint and felt comfortable raising any issues or concerns. Health and social care professionals felt the provider was responsive and followed up any concerns accordingly.
Staff received training that was appropriate to them in their role and supported them in providing care in the way people wanted.
The provider promoted an open and honest culture and people and their relatives were confident with the management of the service. Staff spoke positively about the support they received, the working environment and told us they felt valued in their role.
The provider and registered manager continually assessed and evaluated the quality of care and made the necessary changes to improve the service.
Rating at last inspection: This is the first inspection of the service.
Why we inspected: First inspection since registration.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor information and intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection guidelines. We may inspect sooner if any concerning information is received.