Karis Care Services Ltd

Updated 13 November 2018

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

Inspection team:

One inspector and an Expert by Experience conducted the 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 houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to younger and older adults.

The service had a registered manager who registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means 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:

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection site visit to ensure the registered manager would be present and to ensure people’s consent was gained for us to contact them for their feedback. We visited the office location on 16 October 2018 to see the registered manager and to review care records, policies and procedures.

What we did:

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service and the service provider. We did not ask the registered provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). We looked at the notifications we had received for this service. Notifications are information about important events the service is required to send us by law.

During the inspection, we spoke with one person using the service and three relatives to ask about their experience of care. We spoke with two members of staff, the registered manager and the director. We also spoke with an external health care professional. Everyone we spoke to described the service positively and had no concerns.

We looked at the care and medicines records for two people, staff employment related records and records relating to the quality and management of the service. Details are in the Key Questions below.

The report includes evidence and information gathered by the Expert by Experience and from one external health care professional.

Updated 13 November 2018

What life is like for people using this service:

• We found some records needed to be improved and the provider’s quality assurance system needed further improvement as they did not identify issues around the records we found. When we discussed this with the registered manager they assured us they would make these changes.

• People were supported by staff who understood the need to ensure person centred care and to respect and listen to people. The provider ensured consistency in staff support meaning people and staff were able to build positive relationships. People told us they felt well cared for by staff who treated them with respect and dignity and encouraged them to maintain relationships and keep their independence for as long as possible. People received care and support based on their individual assessment, needs and preferences. Staff liaised with other health care professionals to ensure people’s safety and meet their health needs. Where staff noted a concern they quickly involved healthcare professionals, to achieve positive outcomes for people and reduce any risks..

• The provider ensured that where needed staff received specialist training based on individual needs. Staff spoke positively about working for the provider. They felt well supported and that they could talk to management at any time, feeling confident any concerns would be acted on promptly. They felt valued and happy in their work.

Rating at last inspection: This was the service’s first inspection since it became registered.

About the service: This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to younger and older adults. At the time of the inspection they were providing live in care to three people and two visits a day to one person.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the time since this service had been registered and started operating.

Follow up:

We will monitor all intelligence received about the service to ensure the next planned inspection is scheduled accordingly.