Background to this inspection
Updated
17 July 2019
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
Our inspection was completed by 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.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
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.
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 25 June 2019 and ended on 26 June 2019. We visited the office location on 26 June 2019.
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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.
We spoke with seven people who used the service and nine relatives. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager and care manager. We reviewed four people's care records, two staff personnel files, audits and other records about the management of the service.
Updated
17 July 2019
About the service
Sovereign domiciliary care services is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people in their own homes. They were providing a service to 63 people at the time of the inspection. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The provider recruited staff safely and ensured that required checks were completed before they started to provide care to people.
People received care from a team of regular care workers. There were enough staff employed to meet people's needs and respond to changes in need.
The provider had submitted notifications as necessary to the Care Quality Commission. The provider is legally obliged to send us notifications of incidents, events or changes that happen to the service within a required timescale.
People received safe care and support because staff were trained to recognise signs of potential abuse.
Staff followed infection prevention and control procedures when supporting people in their own homes.
People were supported by caring staff who displayed kindness and compassion. People and their legal representatives were encouraged to be involved in making decisions about their care.
People received safe support with their medicines by competent staff.
The provider arranged training for staff that met the needs of people using the service. Staff were assessed for their competency which ensured they were safe to work with people.
Care plans were developed for each individual and included people's preferences and wishes.
Audits were in place that checked the quality of the service. Action plans were implemented and followed where necessary. There was an open culture in the service and the management team made themselves available.
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.
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 26 October 2016).
The service remains rated good.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.