Background to this inspection
Updated
23 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
One inspector and one Expert by Experience carried out this inspection. 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 homes.
The service had two managers 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.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.
Inspection site visit activity started on 21 May 2019 and ended on 7 June 2019. We visited the office location on 7 June 2019 to see the managers and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. We made telephone calls to people and their relatives and staff on 29 and 30 May 2019.
What we did: Before our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service, including the notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the provider is legally obliged to send us within required timescales.
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 commissioners of the relevant local authorities, the local authority safeguarding team and other professionals who worked with the service to gain their views of the care provided by Newark Regional Office. We received feedback from two external professionals who worked with the service.
During our inspection we spoke with two people and five relatives. We looked at four care plans, five medicine administration records (MARs) and handover sheets. We spoke with six members of staff, including the registered managers, a quality manager employed by the provider and three support workers. We looked at two staff files, which included recruitment records. We also looked at records involved with the day to day running of the service.
Updated
23 July 2019
About the service
Newark Regional Office is a domiciliary care agency that was providing personal care to 21 older people, people living with a dementia, people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorders, physical disabilities and mental health conditions at the time of our inspection.
The service was divided into two parts. One provided support to people with general personal care needs and the other to people with more complex and specialist needs. Both operated out of the same office location with the same registration, policies and procedures.
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.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service
We have made a recommendation about involving people in decisions about their care. People received person-centred support. The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
Risks to people were assessed and addressed. Medicines were managed safely. People were supported by staff who had been safely recruited.
Staff were supported with regular training, supervision and appraisal. 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.
People received kind and caring support. Staff worked to maintain and promote people’s dignity and independence.
Quality assurance systems had not identified or addressed issues in relation to best interest decisions and communication but registered managers told us how they would improve this. The service had strong links with the local community.
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. (report published October 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned visit under our inspection programme.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.