Archived: Newark and Sherwood District

Updated 4 October 2019

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:

Our inspection was conducted by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Newark and Sherwood District is a domiciliary care service, registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes in the community.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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:

We gave the service notice of the inspection visit. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Our inspector visited the office on 29 August and 4 September 2019 to interview staff and to review care records and other documentation. On 3 September, our inspector telephoned people who used the service to seek their feedback on the service.

What we did:

In planning our inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service. This included any notifications (events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about). We also used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During our inspection we spoke with two people to ask about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with one family member, the registered manager (‘the manager’) and one care worker.

We reviewed a range of written records including three people’s care plans, two staff recruitment files and information relating to staff training and the auditing and monitoring of service provision.

Updated 4 October 2019

About the service:

Newark and Sherwood District is a domiciliary care service. It is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes in the community, including older people and people living with dementia. The service operates in Newark and nearby villages. At the time of our inspection, three people were receiving a personal care service.

People’s experience of using this service:

Staff understood people’s individual care needs and preferences and used this knowledge to provide them with flexible, responsive support. The provider took care to involve people and their relatives in planning and reviewing their care and to deploy staffing resources in accordance with their individual preferences. People were provided with food and drink of their choice which met their nutritional requirements.

Staff worked together in a mutually supportive way and communicated effectively, internally with each other and externally with a range of organisations. Training and supervision systems were in place to provide staff with the knowledge and skills they required to meet people’s needs effectively.

Staff were kind and attentive in their approach and were committed to supporting people to maintain their independence. Staff worked in a non-discriminatory way and promoted people’s dignity and privacy. Staff worked collaboratively with local health and social care services to ensure people had access to any support they required. Systems were in place to ensure effective infection prevention and control and people's medicines were managed safely in line with their individual needs and preferences. Staff were aware of people’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and supported people to have maximum choice and control of their lives, in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People’s individual risk assessments were reviewed and updated to take account of changes in their needs. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns to keep people safe from harm. Staff recruitment practice was safe.

The registered manager provided open, client-led leadership and was respected and admired by her team. A number of audits was in place to monitor the quality and safety of service provision. There was organisational learning from significant incidents and concerns or complaints were well-managed. The provider was committed to the continuous improvement of the service in the future.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we inspected:

The service was registered with the Care Quality Commission in December 2017 but had no clients until February 2019. This was our first inspection of the service.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.