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 one inspector and an Expert 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

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses.

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

Inspection activity started on 17 January 2020 and ended on 31January 2020. We informed the provider that we had started the inspection on the 17 January 2020 and requested information relating to good governance. We informed them of when the site visit would take place. We visited the office location on 31 January 2020. The expert by experience contacted people and relatives by telephone

What we did before the inspection

The registered manager completed 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 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. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

On 22 – 23 January 2020, the expert by experience telephoned 11 people and relatives. Two people and three relatives provided feedback about the service. We contacted another relative by email.

We spoke with the regional manager, the registered manager and one care worker. We contacted three care workers by email and received feedback from them about what it was like to work at the service. We also spoke with the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We looked at two people’s care plans and recruitment checks for one staff member. We also reviewed training and supervision records, medicines administration records and records relating to the management of the service.

We emailed six health and social care professionals for their feedback.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found.