Archived: Sussex Elderly Care Community Interest Company

Updated 26 June 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Sussex Elderly Care Community Interest Company is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to older adults, some of whom were living with dementia. It was providing personal care to 18 people at the time of the inspection.

Not everyone using Sussex Elderly Care Community Interest Company received a regulated activity. The CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

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:

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small, and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Inspection site visit activity started on 10 May and ended on 15 May 2019. We visited the office location on 10 May 2019 to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did:

Before the inspection we used information, the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We looked at information we held about the service including notifications they had made to us about important events. Notifications are information about important events the service is required to send us by law. We spoke with the local authority and a specialist nurse for any feedback that they had about the service.

We visited three people in their own homes who were receiving care from the service and met with two of their relatives. . We spoke with five staff including the registered manager. We inspected five people’s care records, three staff recruitment files, records of accidents, incidents and complaints and other records relating to the running of the service.

Updated 26 June 2019

About the service:

Sussex Elderly Care Community Interest Company is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes, some of whom were living with a dementia or another long-term health related condition. Most people lived reasonably independent lives but required support to maintain this independence. At the time of this inspection a service was being provided to 18 people.

People’s experience of using this service:

Medicines were not managed safely. The provider could not be assured that people were receiving their medicines as prescribed. Staff had not had their competency to give medicines assessed and procedures did not provide clear guidelines to follow. The medicine records did not support safe practice and were not accurate. For example, there was no reference to how staff handled topical creams or eye drops.

The quality monitoring systems had not been fully embedded into practice to support best practice in all areas. For example, audits on medicines had not identified all areas for improvement. Policies and procedures had not been established to ensure safe practice and complete records.

There were enough staff working to provide the support people needed, at times of their choice.

People were supported by staff who demonstrated kindness and had a caring approach. Staff were committed to providing care that was appropriate and enhanced people’s lives.

Staff understood the risks associated with the people they supported. Risk assessments provided further information and guidance for staff. People were protected from the risks of harm, abuse or discrimination because staff knew what actions to take if they identified concerns.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff knew people well and supported their independence as far as possible.

People's health needs were met, they were supported to have access to healthcare services when they needed them. Staff received training that gave them skills to provide care people needed. Staff were supported by the management team and felt they were valued and appreciated.

People received support that was person-centred, and systems were in place to ensure people always had a visit as scheduled. Complaints had been recorded, investigated and responded to appropriately. Information received was used to improve the service.

There was a clear staffing structure and staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities. The registered manager took a central role in the service and led by example. She demonstrated a dedication and strong commitment to providing a quality service with people at the heart of the service.

Rating at last inspection: The service registered with the Care Quality Commission in June 2018 and this was their first inspection.

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection, following the registration of the location.

Enforcement: At this inspection we found the service to be Requires Improvement with one breach of the regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

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.

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