We carried out a review of the data available to us about Somcare Agency Limited on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Somcare Agency Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Somcare Agency Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, 130 people were using the service. The majority of people were older adults.
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 received personalised care which met their needs and reflected their preferences. They were offered choices about how they wished to be cared for. The agency provided care workers who spoke people's preferred languages. People had been consulted about their care plans and gave regular feedback. Plans had been reviewed and updated when people's needs changed.
The provider offered a reablement service for people leaving hospital and following operations or accidents. This was a time limited package of care designed to support people to relearn skills and increase independence. Feedback about this aspect of the service was positive, with people pleased to be given the opportunities to gain independence whilst feeling supported and safe.
People received their medicines in a safe way and as prescribed. The staff had training to make sure they understood how to safely manage medicines. Use of medicines and other risks, such as those associated with people's health conditions, eating and drinking, falls and moving safely around their homes, had been assessed, monitored and planned for.
The agency worked closely with other health and social care professionals to make sure people's needs were regularly reviewed and they received the right care and support.
There were enough staff to keep people safe and meet their needs. They arrived on time for care visits and were not rushed. The provider had systems to help make sure only suitable staff were recruited, and they trained and supported staff to make sure they knew how to care for people.
The registered manager knew the service well. They worked closely with external consultants to operate effective systems and processes to monitor and improve the quality of the service. They asked stakeholders for feedback. They investigated and responded to adverse events, such as complaints and they kept clear, accurate and up to date records.
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 14 December 2019)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. We were also alerted to a number of concerns which we had received over the last year. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, responsive and well-led.
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 for the service remains good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from the concerns we had received. Please see the safe, responsive and well-led sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Somcare Agency Limited 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.
About the service
Somcare is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes in the community. At the time of the inspection five people were receiving personal care. 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
We have made a recommendation about the management of some medicines. Safe recruitment procedures were in place but not consistently followed as the provider had not sought all the required employment references for new staff. The provider addressed this immediately after the inspection.
The provider had systems in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse and staff knew how to respond to possible safeguarding concerns. Staff followed appropriate infection control practices to help prevent cross infection.
Staff were supported to provide effective care through induction, training, supervision and spot checks. People's needs were assessed to ensure these could be met. People were supported to maintain health and access healthcare services appropriately. People were also supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Staff were kind and respectful of people’s wishes and preferences and provided support in a respectful manner. Staff respected people’s dignity and provided day to day choices for people.
There was a complaints procedure in place and the provider responded to complaints appropriately.
The provider had systems in place to monitor, manage and improve service delivery and to improve the care and support provided to people. Relatives and staff reported the registered manager was approachable and promoted an open work environment.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 7 January 2019) and there were three breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Somcare Agency Limited 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.
Somecare Agency Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults, some living with the experience of dementia, people with learning disabilities and people with mental health needs. Most people funded their care through direct payments. At the time of our inspection three people were using the service.
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.
During the inspection we found risk assessments and risk management plans were not robust and did not have clear guidance for staff to follow to minimise possible risks to people using the service.
The principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were not always being followed to make sure people’s rights were always protected.
Care workers were not always recording when they had supported people to take medicines and therefore we could not be sure people were receiving their medicines as prescribed.
The care plans did not record any information around people’s wishes, views and thoughts about end of life care.
We did not see any accessible information for people. Care plans did not always have information on how to support people with communication. We have made a recommendation to the provider about enabling and supporting people to make or participate in making decisions about their care and treatment.
Care workers had relevant training, were able to identify the types of abuse and knew how to respond to any safeguarding concerns.
There were enough care workers employed to meet the needs of the people using the service. There were safe recruitment systems in place to ensure care workers were suitable to work with people using the service.
Care workers had access to personal protective equipment and infection control training.
When it was part of their support plan, care workers supported people to maintain a balanced diet and people’s care plans included information about their health needs.
Relatives told us they were happy with the care provided. People were treated with kindness and respect and had the same care workers which provided consistency of care.
The provider had a procedure for responding to any complaints they received. People had information on how to make a complaint and knew how to if they needed to.
The service had some systems in place to monitor and improve service delivery. This included a complaints system, telephone feedback and care worker observations.
Relatives of people using the service and care workers told us the manager was accessible and responded to any concerns raised.
We found three breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 in relation to safe care and treatment, consent to care and good governance. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.