Local Care Services Limited

Updated 18 May 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 provider was given short notice of our intention to inspect the service. This is in line with our current methodology for inspecting domiciliary care agencies to make sure the registered manager would be available. Inspection activity started on 17 April 2018 and ended on 23 April 2018. It included visiting the office, speaking with people and their relatives by phone and interviewing staff by phone. We visited the office location on 18 April 2018 to see the registered manager and office staff, and to review documentation such as care records, policies and procedures.

The inspection team consisted of one inspector, an assistant 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.

Before the inspection we reviewed all the information we held about the service, including notifications the registered manager is required to send us about certain incidents in the service. We also contacted other bodies such as health professionals, service commissioners and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is a consumer champion that gathers information about people’s experiences of using health and social care services in England. We did not receive any information of concern from any of these bodies.

The registered manager had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR) in March 2018. The PIR is a document which asks for information about what the service does well and any improvements the provider plans to make. We used this information in the planning of the inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager, three care co-ordinators, eight members of care staff, nine people who used the service and three relatives. We looked at four people’s care plans, including medicines administration records, and other documents relating to the running of the service.

Updated 18 May 2018

This was our first inspection of the service at its current location. On 17 April 2018 we spoke by phone with people who used the service. We visited the office on 18 April 2018 and spoke by phone with care staff on 19 April 2018. We gave the provider notice we were coming as Local Care Services is a domiciliary care agency and we needed to be sure someone would be in the office to speak with us. Local Care Services provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to adults, most of whom are older people. At the time of our inspection 58 people used the service.

There was an experienced registered manager in post when we inspected. 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 felt safe using the service, and we saw risks were well assessed. Staff were recruited safely, had a good induction and on-going training, and had regular meetings to discuss their performance and any support they needed. Staff understood how to recognise and report any concerns about any potential abuse. The registered manager notified CQC about any incidents when this was necessary. People told us staff would call health professionals, such as doctors and district nurses as required.

There were good processes in place for managing calls which meant people saw regular staff at the times they expected. If staff were running late there were procedures in place to ensure people were contacted in a timely way.

Medicines were managed safely. An emerging issue with the recording of application of creams was addressed immediately during our inspection. Staff had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) when they needed to use it.

People made decisions about their care. There were appropriate processes in place to ensure the provider was working to the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in assessing people’s capacity to make specific decisions and give consent to their care and support. Staff had a good understanding of the importance of offering choice to people. People told us staff asked what they wanted to eat, or prepared meals for them according to menus they had written.

Care was planned in a person-centred way. People told us staff were kind and caring and included them and their relatives in writing and reviewing care plans. Staff understood how to protect people’s privacy and dignity, and we saw people’s independence was promoted. The planning and delivery of care was responsive to changes in people’s needs and preferences.

There were processes in place to ensure complaints were addressed appropriately, and people were asked if they were happy with the way their concerns were addressed and resolved. We saw the service received regular compliments about the quality of care provided.

We received good feedback about leadership and quality in the service from people, their relatives and health and social care professionals. The registered manager had processes in place to involve people and staff in the running of the service, and ensured quality of service provision was measured and tested at regular intervals.

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