Background to this inspection
Updated
30 April 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 and two Experts 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.
Service and service type
The service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
The service had a manager 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
This inspection was announced.
We gave the service notice of the inspection and provided an explanation as to the inspection process. We asked the provider to submit information to the CQC to minimise the time spent on site in response to the pandemic.
Inspection activity started on 23 March 2021 and ended on 31 March 2021. We visited the office location on 30 March 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 who commission the service for some people who use the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
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 two people who used the service and twelve family members about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, assistant manager, two senior care staff and seven care staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality monitoring, minutes of meetings, policies and procedures, and the training and supervision matrix.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provided to validate evidence found by looking at quality audits carried out by the registered manager.
Updated
30 April 2021
About the service
Carers Direct Homecare Limited is a domiciliary care service. The service provides care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were 152 people using the service.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and their family members spoke highly of the service they received. They praised the management of the service and the effective communication, with both themselves and each other. They told us how they felt reassured and safe as staff followed government guidance on COVID-19. A family member told us, “I am confident that the company is well managed and efficient. They have handled COVID-19 and lockdown regulations really well. I would definitely recommend this service with confidence.”
People told us the service was very reliable and that they 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, and that staff were able to converse with them in their first language of Punjabi, English and Guajarati. A family member told us, “The standard of care is always the same, they don’t rush the care. I think the correct word is empathetic. They are proactive and they are consistent.”
Staff were aware of their responsibilities in safeguarding people and knew how and who to raise concerns with. People were supported by a core group of staff who had undergone a robust recruitment process. Staff upon their appointment underwent a period of induction and a programme of training which was regularly updated.
People’s safety was promoted by staff who followed guidance on how to reduce potential risk. People were supported with their medicine’s safely by staff who had had their competency assessed. The registered manager and staff adhered to government guidance in relation to COVID-19 to promote the safety and wellbeing of people and themselves.
The management team were aware of their role and responsibilities in meeting their legal obligations. Systems to monitor the quality of the service were in place and were used to develop the service and drive improvement. People’s views and that of their family members and staff were regularly sought.
Good communication between the registered manager, staff and external partner agencies enabled the service to support people well. The registered manager provided key information, such as surveys and information about COVID-19 in Asian languages.
The registered manager had worked with local Asian radio stations to share information both for the service, and the wider community.
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 9 March 2020)
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to inconsistent infection prevention measures being adopted by staff. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led only.
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.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Carers Direct Homecare Ltd 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.