Background to this inspection
Updated
23 June 2023
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors 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 and flats.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave a short period notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
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 and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to send us in a provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 3 people who received care from the service. We reviewed the care documentation for 4 people and looked at other information relating to the running of the service, such as audits, surveys, training and complaints. The registered manager was not available on our first day of inspection and instead we spoke with a consultant who had been working with the registered manager to improve their service since our last inspection. We also spoke with 1 staff member.
Following our inspection, we spoke with 1 staff member. We visited the offices on the second day of inspection and spoke with the registered manager and a further member of staff. We also received feedback from the relative of a person who received care from the service.
Updated
23 June 2023
About the service
CareArt is a domiciliary care agency providing the regulated activity of personal care to people living in their own homes. The service provides support to older people who may be frail or who have a health condition. 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. At the time of inspection, the service was providing care to 6 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and staff had seen improvements to the service since our last inspection. People received their care calls when they were expecting them and told us staff stayed the full time. Staff told us they had more time to spend with people now and did not feel rushed.
People received the medicines they required from appropriately trained staff. Staff were undertaking additional training to help ensure they were competent in their role.
People were cared for by staff who knew them well, consistently carried out their care calls and treated them with respect and dignity. People were supported to retain their independence and make their own decisions about their care.
People felt safe with staff and staff knew how to report any concerns they may have. Risks identified for people had been recorded and information was in place to help staff provide care in a way that reduced people’s risks.
People received a service that resulted in good outcomes for them. This included staff supporting people with their food and drink as well as accessing healthcare professional input when required.
People were 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.
New systems and processes had been introduced to the service to help the registered manager monitor the quality of care. This had given them a better understanding of their role and responsibility as a registered person, although it was going to take more time for these methods to be embedded sufficiently.
People and staff were asked for their views through surveys, meetings and spot checks.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for the service was Inadequate. Report published 15 November 2022. Since that inspection, the provider has changed the name of the service and moved address.
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.
At our last inspection we recommended that the registered provider reviewed their training for staff. At this inspection we found the registered manager had acted on our recommendation.
This service has been in Special Measures since 15 November 2022. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and to check whether the Warning Notice we previously served in relation to Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 had been met.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.