Archived: Community House

Updated 31 July 2019

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. 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:

There was one inspector.

Service and service type:

This service 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 and physically disabled adults. 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 the service is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff. We needed to be sure that they would be in. Inspection site visit activity started on 27 June 2019 and ended on the same day. We visited the office location to see the manager and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did

Before inspection we looked at:

We reviewed the information we already held about this service. This included details of its registration, feedback from those who had contact with the service and notifications that had been sent to us. Registered providers must notify us about certain changes, events and incidents that affect their service or the people who use it. We also looked at 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 contacted the host local authority to seek their views about the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During and after inspection:

We spoke with one person who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with two staff; one carer and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 31 July 2019

About the service

Community House is a domiciliary care agency that currently provides personal care to three people.

People’s experience of using this service

Staff at the service were not always safely recruited. People's medicines were recorded correctly but not when administered. There was a system to record accidents and share learning appropriately. There were systems in place to safeguard people from abuse and staff had been trained on safeguarding. Risk assessments and risk management plans were completed to mitigate risks towards people. Staff understood the need to prevent and control infection and wore protective equipment.

People were assessed to ensure the service could meet their needs. Staff received induction, training and supervision. Staff worked with other agencies to ensure people received effective care. People were supported with their healthcare needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service did support this practice.

People told us they thought highly of the care. The service sought to protect people’s human rights. People were able to express their views and make decisions about their care. People’s privacy and dignity were respected and their independence encouraged.

People’s care plans were personalised. The service was able to provide information to people in different ways. People and their relatives knew how to make complaints. The service wasn't working with anyone at end of life but would be able to do so.

We have made a recommendation about quality assurance. The registered manager was open and responsive when we highlighted concerns. People, relatives and staff thought highly of the registered manager. There were systems and processes in place to monitor and assure quality in care. Staff attended meetings where people’s care and other topics were discussed. The service had links with other agencies to benefit people who used the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 05 July 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection that was part of our inspection schedule. We inspected the service because it was under a new registration.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach in relation to staff recruitment at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.