Background to this inspection
Updated
10 April 2020
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 team consisted of two inspectors.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and specialist housing.
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.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 19th February 2020 and ended on 20th February 2020. We visited the office location on 20th February 2020.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. 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 all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 5 people who used the service and 4 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, operations director, service delivery manager and care workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
Updated
10 April 2020
About the service
Chase Care and Support Services Hednesford is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 60 people at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt safe. Staff understood how to keep people safe and effective systems were in place to protect people from abuse. People’s risks were assessed and staff understood how to manage risk to people. People were supported by a sufficient number of safely recruited staff. Staff attended calls on time and stayed for the duration of their call. People’s medicines were administered to them safely in line with their care plans. Medication administration records were completed to show when medicines had been administered and personal protocols were in place to guide staff when to administer ‘as required’ medicines. Staff understood how to prevent the spread of infection and wore personal protective equipment. When things went wrong, this was immediately investigated and action was taken to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.
People’s needs were assessed in a personalised way and their diverse needs were considered. Care was delivered in line with people’s assessed needs. People were supported by well trained staff with the skills required to meet people’s needs. People were supported to eat and drink in line with their care plans. People were supported to access health professionals when needed and accessed support in a timely manner. 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.
People were supported by kind and caring staff who treated them with respect. People were supported by a continuity of staff that enable them to build a rapport. People were supported to make decisions regarding their own care. People’s dignity was respected by staff and staff ensured they shut doors and covered people when providing support with personal care to protect their privacy. People were encouraged to do as much as they could for themselves to promote their independence.
People had personalised care plans in place that staff understood and followed to ensure their needs and preferences were met. People’s communication needs were considered and the provider gave information to people in a way they understood. People were encouraged to maintain positive relationships with their families. Complaints were investigated and responded to in line with the complaints policy. People were confident any concerns would be addressed.
People were supported by a service that promoted an open and person-centred approach that promoted good outcomes for people. The registered manager was open and honest and understood the duty of candour. Effective audit systems were in place to check the quality of the service. Any concerns identified through audit checks were addressed in a timely manner. People and their relatives were involved in the running of the service and asked for feedback via quality review forms. The registered manager was proactive in learning and improving the quality of care people received. The provider worked closely with health and social care professionals.
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 27 September 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.