Crown Home Care Ltd

Updated 29 October 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. 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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one 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. The care provided varied from one visit per day to live-in care. This is where a staff member lives with the person providing continuous support to them.

The service had a manager registered with the CQC. 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. 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.

Inspection activity started on 29 July 2019 and ended on 05 August 2019. We visited the office location on 30 July 2019 and 05 August 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, director and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at six 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.

After the inspection

We reviewed further information sent to us by the provider. We received feedback from one external professional.

Updated 29 October 2019

About the service

Crown Home Care Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 72 people.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. Care Quality Commission (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

People and relatives told us the service was safe. Staff understood signs of possible abuse and how to raise concerns. Risks to people were assessed and known by staff. People were supported by staff who had undergone appropriate recruitment checks. Medicines were administered appropriately. Incidents and accidents were thoroughly investigated.

People experienced good outcomes because staff were skilled and involved the appropriate healthcare professionals. Staff experienced effective support by senior staff and the registered manager including an induction, ongoing supervision and appraisal. This enabled them to provide good quality, effective care. People's hydration and nutritional needs were met.

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.

Staff provided caring and compassionate support. Staff supported people to have experiences that they enjoyed and that improved their wellbeing. People were encouraged to remain as independent in their daily activities as possible. People and relatives confirmed to us that they were always treated with dignity and respect.

People's needs were holistically assessed and met by the care provided. People were treated equally and without discrimination. People were supported to continue activities that were meaningful to them. Complaints were well managed and responded to appropriately. End of life care was provided effectively and compassionately.

We received positive feedback about the management of the service. The registered manager and senior staff promoted a positive, open and honest culture within the service and understood their regulatory responsibilities. There were appropriate systems in place to monitor and improve the service. The service had appropriate links with the local community for the benefit of people.

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 this service was good (published February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.