We carried out a review of the data available to us about Ethica Care on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Ethica Care, you can give feedback on this service.
Ethica Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 65 people using the service.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We received some feedback about instances of staff lateness and timekeeping concerns.
Safeguarding processes were in place to help safeguard people from abuse. Risks associated with people’s care had been assessed and guidance was in place for staff to follow.
People received person centred care which met their needs. People told us staff were caring and considerate.
People and their representatives were generally happy with the support they received from this service and were involved in the planning of their care and given opportunities to feedback on the service they received.
Staff were suitably trained, skilled and experienced and had undergone the required recruitment checks.
Processes were in place to ensure people received their medicines safely and as prescribed.
There were procedures in place to respond to complaints. The provider had investigated and responded promptly to any concerns received. The service learned from incidents and mistakes and made continuous improvements.
Auditing and quality assurance processes were in place to enable the service to identify where improvement was needed.
The provider worked in partnership with healthcare services and professionals to plan and deliver an effective service.
There were some good person-centred initiatives, examples included delivering food to the local food bank and providing blankets to people using 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
The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 15 May 2019.
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to safeguarding, missed calls and complaints. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, responsive and well-led only.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ethica Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Recommendations
We made a recommendation about monitoring staff deployment.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
People’s experience of using this service:
People received a service which was personalised and met their individual needs and preferences.
People and their relatives spoke highly of the care staff. They told us that people were cared for by regular staff who were kind, understood their needs and were competent in providing personalised care.
People’s care was planned with the involvement of people using the service and their relatives. The service was flexible and responsive to changes in people’s needs and preferences.
Staff respected people's privacy and dignity. They understood and valued people’s differences.
Staff received the information they needed so they were able to provide people with personalised care.
Staff told us that they worked well as a team and reported any changes in people’s needs to the registered manager. They told us they received the support and guidance that they needed to carry out their role and responsibilities.
Staff knew what their responsibilities were in relation to keeping people safe. They knew how to recognise and report any concerns they had about people's welfare.
The service assessed and managed risks to ensure that people received personal care and support safely.
The provider had systems in place to manage and resolve complaints. People had opportunities to provide feedback about the service, and action was taken to address issues they raised.
Systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality and delivery of care to people. Improvements to the service were made when needed.
Rating at last inspection: This was the service's first inspection.
Why we inspected: We inspected the service as part of our inspection schedule methodology for new registered services which had not been rated before.
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