Archived: Carewell Limited

Updated 14 March 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.

This was a comprehensive inspection which took place on 23 January 2018, it was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service, we therefore needed to be sure that someone would be available in the office to assist with the inspection.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector. During the inspection we spent time at the services’ office and visited three people in their own homes with their agreement.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service which included previous inspection reports and the responses to a questionnaire sent by the Care Quality Commission to gather views on the service. There had been no events since the previous inspection that required a notification to be sent. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law. We contacted the local authority safeguarding team who had no concerns with the service. We also requested some feedback from commissioners and a community professional, however, we did not receive any feedback from them.

We reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR).This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with three people who use the service and three relatives of people who use the service. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, the administrator and five care staff. We looked at records relating to the management of the service including four people’s care plans and associated records. We checked records related to managing medicines and reviewed three staff files including the recruitment records for the most recently recruited staff. We also looked at staff training records, policies and procedures, the compliments/complaints log and accident/incident records.

Updated 14 March 2018

This was a comprehensive inspection which took place on 23 January 2018 and was announced. We gave the registered manager 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make sure someone would be in the office to assist us.

Carewell Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults, younger adults, people living with dementia and people with physical or learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care and support to 13 people.

The service had a registered manager as required. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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. The registered manager was present and assisted us during the inspection.

At the last inspection the service was rated Good in all domains. At this inspection we found the service remained Good in Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led. They were outstanding in Responsive.

People received safe care from the service. Staff were trained to safeguard and protect people. They reported concerns promptly when necessary and the registered manager took appropriate action. People received their medicines safely and when they required them. Risks to people were assessed and actions taken to minimise risks without restricting their freedom. A robust recruitment procedure was followed to ensure as far as possible only suitable staff were employed.

People continued to receive effective care from staff who were trained and had the necessary skills to fulfil their role. Staff were very well supported by the registered manager. Regular one to one meetings and appraisals provided time to seek advice, discuss and review their work. They had opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge as well as gain relevant qualifications.

People were supported with nutrition and hydration when this was part of their care and support plan. People’s healthcare needs were monitored and advice was sought from healthcare professionals when necessary. 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 remained caring and people reported staff were extremely kind and patient. They told us staff were willing to go above and beyond their duties to provide excellent care and support. People’s privacy and dignity was protected, they and their relatives told us staff treated them with respect. People and when appropriate relatives were fully involved in making decisions about their care.

The service was extremely responsive to people’s individual needs. Staff knew people very well and paid particular attention to finding out about people’s interests, past lives and their personal preferences. Individual care plans were person-centred and detailed. They focused on the diverse needs of each person, taking into account any protected characteristics. The service worked toward achieving people’s desired outcomes and providing flexible and outstanding care. People knew how to raise concerns or make a complaint but had not needed to do so. They felt confident they would be listened to if concerns were raised. The service was working to the accessible information standard.

The service was very well-led and had strong leadership from the registered manager. Records were complete, accurate and reviewed regularly to reflect current information. The registered manager was experienced and skilled. They promoted an open, empowering, person centred culture and demonstrated by example the provision of excellent care. The values of the service were embedded in the way staff worked with people. Feedback was sought and used to monitor the quality of the service. Audits were conducted and used to make improvements.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.