Background to this inspection
Updated
14 May 2021
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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had three 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 and provided an explanation as to the inspection process. We asked the provider to submit information to CQC to minimise the time spent on site in response to the pandemic.
The inspection activity started on 14 April 2021 and ended on 19 April 2021. We visited the office location on 16 April 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with one person who used the service and thirteen relatives of people using the service, about their views and experience of the care provided. We spoke with eleven members of staff including the provider / nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service.
We reviewed a range of records. This included policies and procedures, internal management audits, staff supervision and training records and three staff recruitment files. A variety of other records relating to the management of the service were also reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found, such as training records.
Updated
14 May 2021
About the service
Care 4 U – 466 Melton Road is a domiciliary care service. The service provides care and support to people living in their own homes in the community.
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.
At the time of our inspection 73 people were receiving personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Communication systems had improved to some extent since the last inspection but remained a cause of frustration for some people using the service. For example, people told us they were not always informed when staff were running late and when contacting the office with any queries they were not always responded to appropriately. One person commented the communication with the office staff was ‘hit and miss’, saying it depended on who they spoke with, whether anything gets done.
Since the last inspection the provider had introduced an electronic care monitoring system, which recorded the care people received in live time. However, relatives told us they did not have access to records regarding their relative’s care as paper records were no longer held in their homes. Also, some people were not familiar with using technology. The provider said they would consult with individuals and relatives to ensure they had access to the care records, either electronically or by having paper copies held within their homes.
People and their relatives knew how to raise a complaint and said they would feel confident to do so if needed. We found records of complaints needed to be recorded in more detail to clearly evidence when they were brought to the providers attention, the dates of investigation and conclusion.
People felt reassured and safe as staff followed government guidance on COVID-19. Staff followed infection prevention control (IPC) best practice, in relation to reducing the risks of infection spread, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and following good hand hygiene. Staff had access to enough supplies of PPE equipment.
People were supported by a core group of staff who they had developed positive and supportive relationships with. People spoke of the kind and caring approach of staff. Staff were recruited following safe recruitment practices. Upon appointment they underwent a period of induction and a programme of training and shadowing experienced staff.
People’s safety was promoted by staff who followed training and guidance on how to reduce potential risk. People were supported with their medicine’s safely by staff who had had their competency assessed.
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 28 November 2019).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about infection prevention controls. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the Safe and Well-Led sections of this full report.
We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
The overall rating of Good has not changed based on the findings at this inspection. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Care 4 U – 466 Melton Road 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.