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Archived: ECC Care

Overall: Inadequate read more about inspection ratings

379 Southchurch Road, Southend On Sea, Essex, SS1 2PQ (01702) 597793

Provided and run by:
Pro Solutions Ltd

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

All Inspections

7 June 2022

During an inspection looking at part of the service

About the service

ECC Care provides personal care and support to people who require assistance in their own home. At the time of our inspection approximately 23 people were being supported by the service. 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 is registered to be at the address 379 Southchurch Road, Southend on sea, Essex SS1 2PQ. However, when we announced the inspection we were informed the offices had moved to Suite 1 Chalkwell Lawns, Westcliff on sea, Essex SS0 9HR. This location is not part of the provider's condition of registration. We are therefore considering our next enforcement action for this different location. Our inspection occurred at Suite 1 Chalkwell Lawns address, to ensure people were being supported safely.

Care and treatment was not recorded in detail or in a person centred way to provide safe support to people. Staff training had not been reviewed or kept up to date for all staff. There was limited information to support the administration of medication and staff had not had their competency checked. The provider was not able to demonstrate how they learned lessons and shared this information when things go wrong.

The provider had a lack of oversight at the service and there were poor governance systems which meant issues had not been addressed.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Generally people told us they were happy with the staff that supported them with their care. People told us they had consistent staff members supporting them.

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 20 November 2018.)

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the management oversight at the service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed from good to inadequate based on the findings of this inspection.

The provider has taken action by appointing a management consultancy firm to address the issues identified.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for ECC Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment, staffing, recruitment and good governance at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Special Measures:

The overall rating for this service is ‘Inadequate’ and the service is therefore in ‘special measures’. This means we will keep the service under review and, if we do not propose to cancel the provider’s registration, we will re-inspect within 6 months to check for significant improvements.

If the provider has not made enough improvement within this timeframe. And there is still a rating of inadequate for any key question or overall rating, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures. This will mean we will begin the process of preventing the provider from operating this service. This will usually lead to cancellation of their registration or to varying the conditions the registration.

For adult social care services, the maximum time for being in special measures will usually be no more than 12 months. If the service has demonstrated improvements when we inspect it. And it is no longer rated as inadequate for any of the five key questions it will no longer be in special measures.

18 October 2018

During a routine inspection

We undertook an announced inspection of ECC Care on the 18, 19 and 23 October 2018. ECC Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of our inspection, 33 people were using the service, of which four people were in hospital. This was the service's first inspection at its current address.

The service had a registered manager. 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 service was not consistently safe. Although care was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare, improvements were required to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed. People and relatives felt safe receiving care from the service. There were enough staff to meet people's needs who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed. There were effective infection control practices in place to mitigate the risk of the spread of infection.

The service was effective. Newly appointed staff received an induction to the service and on-going training and support to enable them to effectively fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and supported people to have maximum choice and control over their lives. The policies and procedures in the service support this practice. The service worked with health and social care professionals in assessing, planning and reviewing people’s care and treatment. Where required, people were supported to meet their nutritional needs.

The service was caring. Staff were kind and caring, treated people with respect and upheld their dignity. People’s independence was promoted and they were encouraged and supported to do as much as they could for themselves. Care plans provided guidance to staff on how people wished to be cared for.

The service was responsive. The service was flexible to ensure people’s needs were met. People and relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care. Care plans reflected people's current care and support needs and provided guidance to staff on how people wished to be cared for. There was an effective complaints system in place. Where end of life care was provided, this was done in a compassionate way.

The service was well led. Staff felt valued and enjoyed working at the service. There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service and to drive continuous improvements. The registered manager had developed positive relationships with people, relatives, staff and health and social care professionals.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.