Background to this inspection
Updated
21 July 2018
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.
The inspection took place on the 11 July 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service. We wanted to be sure that someone would be in to speak with us.
The inspection team consisted of one 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.
We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at this and other information we held about the service. This included notifications. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the service must inform us about.
During our inspection we spoke with seven people and eight relatives over the telephone. Three care staff and the registered manager. We observed the staff working in the office dealing with issues and speaking with people over the telephone. After the inspection we contacted five health and social care professionals to gather their feedback and we received two responses.
We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the service was managed. These included the care records for four people, medicine administration record (MAR) sheets, four staff training, support and employment records, quality assurance audits, incident reports and records relating to the management of the service.
This was the provider’s first inspection since registration.
Updated
21 July 2018
This inspection took place on 11 July 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a care at home service. We wanted to be sure that someone would be in to speak with us.
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection the service were providing personal care to 19 people with a range of health and social care needs, such as people with a physical disability, sensory impairment or people living with dementia.
The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.’
People told us that they felt safe. Staff had a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities for identifying and reporting allegations of abuse and knew how to access policies and procedures regarding protecting people from abuse. Risks to people were assessed and monitored.
People's medicines were managed safely by staff. People were supported by staff who the provider checked were suitable to work with them. In addition, there were enough staff to care for people.
People were encouraged to live healthy lives and received food of their choice. People received support with their day to day healthcare needs.
Staff considered peoples capacity using the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) as guidance. People's capacity to make decisions had been assessed. 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.
Staff were trained in subjects relevant to the needs of the people who used the service and received regular supervision which enabled them to develop in their roles. Staff said they felt supported.
Staff spoke to people respectfully and treated them with dignity and respect. People felt that their privacy was respected and staff kept information confidential. People were involved in planning their support.
People's individuality was respected and people's preferences were taken into account when planning their care such as religion. There was an accessible complaints process in place which people knew how to use if they needed to however people told us that they hadn't needed to make a complaint.
People said that the registered manager was approachable and listened to them. Staff felt that the registered manager was open and they were able to raise any concerns and receive with a good response. The vision and values of the organisation were visible within the service and staff were proud to work at the service.
Quality assurance and information governance systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. People and relatives all told us that they were happy with the service provided and the way it was managed.