We carried out a review of the data available to us about Norwyn Community Services on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Norwyn Community Services, you can give feedback on this service.
About the service
Norwyn Community Services is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing short term support to 17 people to enable them to leave hospital as soon as they were ready to be discharged. This support was part of the COVID-19 pandemic response.
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
Feedback from people and their relatives about the service was positive. Comments included, “They were so supportive and encouraging. I never felt rushed.”, “Such nice cheerful people. They lifted our spirits” and, “Staff were very kind, no complaints at all.”
Staff knew how keep people safe from abuse. Staff reported accidents and incidents to ensure they were investigated and action was taken as needed. There were care plans and risk assessments in place and staff had a good understanding of the risks to people. Infection prevention and control measures were in place to prevent infections or the risk of COVID-19 spreading through the service. People received their medicines as prescribed.
There were enough suitably trained and recruited staff to support people safely. Staff were not rushed and had time to spend talking to people.
Staff sought people’s consent before they provided them with care. 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.
Staff were kind and caring. Care was person centred and people told us they were involved in planning their own care. People’s equality needs such as religious or cultural needs were met where this support was needed. Where people were at the end of their life the service worked in partnership with the hospice to ensure people’s needs were met and their wishes were respected.
Staff were positive about the service and said they felt well supported and communication was good. Staff were supervised appropriately. Checks of the service quality were undertaken and issues were acted upon where identified. The registered manager understood their legal responsibility to report significant events to CQC. There were systems in place to enable people to feedback about the quality of their care, which all had said was positive.
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 6 June 2018).
Why we inspected
This was a planned pilot virtual inspection. The report was created as part of a pilot which looked at new and innovative ways of fulfilling CQC’s regulatory obligations and responding to risk in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was conducted with the consent of the provider. Unless the report says otherwise, we obtained the information in it without visiting the Provider.
The pilot inspection considered the key questions of safe and well-led and provide a rating for those key questions. Only parts of the effective, caring and responsive key questions were considered, and therefore the ratings for these key questions are those awarded at the last inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Norwyn Community Services on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Norwyn Community Services is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care for people who require support in their own home. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’ and help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. This was the first comprehensive inspection since the agency was registered on 8 May 2017. At the time of our inspection, they were supporting three people who received support with personal care tasks.
The provider was also the registered manager at 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.
The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The provider understood their responsibilities under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. People’s capacity to consent to care and support had been assessed and recorded within their care plans.
The provider had suitable processes in place to safeguard people from different forms of abuse. They knew what their responsibilities were in relation to keeping people safe from the risk of abuse. The provider recognised the signs of abuse and what to look out for. There were systems in place to support staff and people to stay safe.
The provider or the care coordinator involved people in planning their care by assessing their needs on their first visit to the person, and then by asking people if they were happy with the care they received. There was a strong emphasis on person centred care. People were supported to plan their support and they received a service that was based on their personal needs and wishes. The service was flexible and responded positively to changes in people’s needs. Some people were supported by their family members to discuss their care needs, if this was their choice to do so. People were able to express their opinions and views and they were encouraged and supported to have their voices heard.
People were supported with meal planning, preparation, eating and drinking. Staff supported people, by contacting the office to alert the provider to any identified health needs so that their doctor or nurse could be informed.
The provider had followed effective recruitment procedures to check that potential staff employed were of good character and had the skills and experience needed to carry out their roles.
The provider deployed sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service.
Staff had received training as is necessary to enable them to carry out the duties they are employed to perform. All staff received induction training at the start of their employment. Refresher training was provided at regular intervals.
Staff followed an up to date medicines policy issued by the provider and they were checked against this and assessed by the provider. Staff were trained to meet people’s needs and were supported through regular supervision and an annual appraisal so they were supported to carry out their roles.
People said that they knew they could contact the provider at any time, and they felt confident about raising any concerns or other issues.
The service had processes in place to monitor the delivery of the service. As well as talking to the provider and/or care coordinator at spot checks, people could phone the office at any time, or speak to the person on duty for out of hours calls. People’s views were obtained through meetings with the person and meetings with families of people who used the service. The provider checked how well people felt the service was meeting their needs.
People felt that the service was well led. The provider and care coordinator demonstrated strong values and a desire to learn about and implement best practice throughout the range of services provided. Staff were motivated and proud of the service. The service had developed effective links with organisations that helped them develop best practice in the service. The provider used effective systems to continually monitor the quality of the service.