Lead Care Services Limited

Updated 24 April 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 inspection took place on 09 April 2018 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in the office to support us with the inspection.

The inspection was undertaken by one inspector. Before our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service including statutory notifications that had been submitted. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We also reviewed the provider information return (PIR) submitted to us 07 March 2018. This is information that the provider is required to send to us, which gives us some key information about the service and tells us what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make.

Inspection activity started on 09 April 2018 and ended on 11 April 2018. We visited the office location on 09 April 2018 to meet the registered manager and to review care records and documents central to people's health and well-being. These included care records relating to two people, recruitment records for two staff members, staff training records and quality audits.

Subsequent to the visit to the office location we spoke with one person who used the service and relatives of three people who used the service by telephone to obtain their feedback on how people were supported to live their lives. We also spoke with two staff members to confirm the training and support they received.

Updated 24 April 2018

The inspection took place on 09 April 2018 and was announced.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community. Lead Care Services Limited is registered to provide a service for people living with dementia, older people, people living with a learning disability, people living with a physical or sensory disability and younger adults.

Not everyone using Lead Care Services limited receives a regulated activity; 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 this inspection Lead Care Services Limited supported four people with personal care.

This is the first inspection of this service since the provider registered with CQC on 27 April 2017.

The provider was also the registered manager for the service. 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 receiving care and support from Lead Care Services Limited. Staff understood how to keep people safe and risks to people's safety and well-being were identified and managed. People's needs were met by sufficient numbers of skilled and experienced staff. The provider operated robust recruitment processes which helped to ensure that staff employed to provide care and support for people were fit to do so. The service provided minimal support with people's medicines at the time of this inspection.

Staff received one to one supervision from a member of the management team which made them feel supported and valued. People received support they needed to eat and drink sufficient quantities and their health needs were well catered for with appropriate referrals made to health professionals as needed.

People and their relatives complimented the staff team for being kind and caring. Staff were knowledgeable about individuals' care and support needs and preferences and people had been involved in the planning of their care where they were able.

The registered manager had arrangements to receive feedback from people who used the service and their relatives about the services provided. People were confident to raise anything that concerned them with staff or management and were satisfied that they would be listened to.

The registered manager had developed an open and respectful culture in the service and people, their relatives and the staff team were comfortable to speak with the registered manager if they had a concern. Arrangements were in place to regularly monitor health and safety and the quality of the care and support provided for people who used the service.