Background to this inspection
Updated
5 January 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 was the first inspection of this service under this provider.
This inspection took place on 15 and 22 November 2017 and was announced. 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 15 November 2017 and ended on 22 November 2017. It included visits and phone calls to people and phone calls to staff. We visited the office location on 15 November 2017 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.
The inspection was carried out 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. Our expert-by-experience had experience of this type of service.
Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed the information we held about the service. This included correspondence we had received and notifications submitted by the service. A notification must be sent to the Care Quality Commission every time a significant incident has taken place, for example where a person who uses the service experiences a serious injury.
During the inspection we spoke on the telephone with four people who used the service and four relatives of people being supported by the service. We visited three people in their own home. During the home visits we also spoke with one relative. We looked at records in relation to four people's care. We spoke with three members of care staff and the registered manager. We looked at records relating to the management of the service and systems for monitoring the quality of the service.
Updated
5 January 2018
This announced inspection took place on 15 and 22 November 2017. This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides support with personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults. At the time of our inspection the service was providing support to 70 people.
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.
Staff were trained in how to keep people safe and report any concerns of abuse. The likelihood of people experiencing avoidable harm was reduced because the registered manager assessed people's risks and developed plans to alleviate them.
People were involved in the assessment of any risk associated with their care and support. Where risks were identified steps were taken to reduce these. These risk assessments were regularly reviewed and updated to ensure they met people’s changing needs.
Where required the service supported people with their medicines. Staff were trained to support people with their medicines and recorded their actions appropriately.
The service followed appropriate infection control procedures and staff had access to personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons.
Each person had an individual care plan which was written after an assessment of their needs had been carried out by a senior member of staff. This was reviewed and updated as necessary to ensure it reflected any changes in people’s care needs.
Staff were appropriately trained and supported. They received an induction into the service and ongoing update training.
The service supported some people with their nutrition. Those that were supported were satisfied with how this was done telling us that staff always ensured they left them with a drink.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were also supported to be as independent as they were able.
People and their relatives told us that care was delivered in a compassionate manner by staff who knew them well.
There was a formal complaints procedure and people knew how to access this.
The service was well-led with open and transparent leadership. People and staff felt able to approach the management team with any suggestions or concerns.
Quality assurance processes ensured that care was consistently delivered to a good standard