Background to this inspection
Updated
20 July 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
This inspection was carried out by an 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 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
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
Before the inspection, we reviewed all the information we held about the service including information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law. We requested feedback from other stakeholders. These included the local authority safeguarding team, commissioning teams, infection and prevention control team and Healthwatch Leeds. 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 the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
During the inspection we spoke with 2 people using the service and 9 relatives of people using the service. We spoke with 7 staff members. This included care workers, senior care workers, the registered manager and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We looked at care records for 3 people using the service including medicine administration records. We looked at training, recruitment and supervision records for staff. We also reviewed various policies and procedures and the quality assurance and monitoring systems of the service.
Updated
20 July 2023
About the service
Aegis Care Solutions is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to adults living in their own home. During our inspection visit, the service was caring for 74 people. 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.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found:
Right Support:
¿ People were respected and valued as individuals.
¿ People and relatives were involved in planning care.
¿ 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. However, the provider needed to improve the recording of relevant discussions and decisions about the care of people who lacked capacity to make decisions.
Right Care:
¿ People and relatives were positive about the care and support received.
¿ Most risks to people’s care were assessed and measures put in place to manage these.
¿ The management team were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities; appropriate referrals had been made when required.
¿ Medicines were well managed.
Right Culture:
¿ Culture at the service did not always encourage sharing and learning. Staff did not always feel comfortable raising concerns to management or if concerns were raised that these would not be acted up. Staff were not always aware of the whistleblowing procedures or regularly supported through one-to-one supervision sessions.
¿ There were several quality assurance systems in place, we found examples where these had been effective but also examples where these had not been effective. We made a recommendation in relation to this area.
¿ Most areas of recruitment were managed safely but we found examples of additional improvements required. We made a recommendation in relation to safe recruitment.
¿ Staff were offered relevant training.
¿ The management team were receptive to the inspection process and responsive to the issues we raised.
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 this service was good (published on 21 August 2019).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing and management. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We made 2 recommendations in relation to recruitment and good governance.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.