Background to this inspection
Updated
21 December 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
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.
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 72 hours’ notice of the inspection in accordance with our current methodology for the inspection of this type of service. This enabled the service to seek people’s consent to talk with the inspector by telephone. Inspection activity started on 5 December 2019 and ended on 6 December 2019. We visited the office location on 6 December 2019.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information that we held about the service such as notifications. These are events that happen in the service that the provider is required to tell us about. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
The provider had not been requested to complete a provider information return prior to the inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with seven people who used the service and five relatives by phone about their experience of the care provided. We received feedback from eight care staff via email about their experience of working for the service. On the day of the office inspection we spoke with the registered manager, training and recruitment manager and three care staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care and 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, procedures and the service’s rotas and call monitoring data were also reviewed.
After the inspection
We requested feedback on the service’s performance from a health and social care professional. We reviewed further care documents.
Updated
21 December 2019
About the service
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community in Launceston and the surrounding areas. The packages of care provided range from short visits at key times of the day to 24-hour care dependant on the person's care needs. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting approximately 35 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found.
People using the service consistently told us they felt safe and that staff were caring and respectful and had developed positive caring relationships with them. Their comments included, "I can't fault one of them", "There isn't one of them that I wouldn’t say I wouldn’t want to come back" and “They [staff] look at me and can tell if I'm not well as I get a lot of pain - the carers know me well.”
Relative were also complementary of the service and the quality of support it provided. Comments included “[Staff] are very kind and caring and we have absolutely, no complaints whatsoever” and “Complete Care have been absolutely fantastic, they’ve been a lifesaver to all of us."
People and their relatives knew how to make complaints; and felt confident that these would be listened to and acted upon in an open and transparent way, as an opportunity to improve the service.
People received person centred care and support based on their individual needs and preferences. Staff were aware of people's life history, and their communication needs. They used this information to develop positive, meaningful relationships with people.
People and their relatives were involved in the development and review of care plans and told us these documents were accurate and up to date. They included clear guidance on the support required during each visit.
People told us they felt well cared for by staff and encouraged them to maintain relationships and keep their independence for as long as possible.
Staff were respectful of the fact they were working in people's homes. The service offered flexible support to people and were able to adapt in order to meet people's needs and support them as they wanted.
Staff were recruited in a safe way, there were enough staff to meet people's current needs. Staff were supported by a system of induction, training and supervision to ensure they were effective in their role.
The service’s rotas were well organised and there were enough staff available to provide all planned care visits. A mobile phone call monitoring application was used to ensure all visits were provided and to share information securely with staff. No one reported having experienced a missed care visit.
Risks had been assessed and staff were provided with guidance on how to manage and mitigate risks while providing support. The service had appropriate procedures in place during periods of adverse weather.
People were supported to access healthcare services, staff recognised changes in people's health, and sought professional advice appropriately.
Where people lacked capacity, staff worked with the local authority to make sure they minimised any restrictions on people’s freedom for their safety and wellbeing.
Staff spoke positively about working for the provider. They felt well supported and said they could talk to management at any time. Staff were motivated, felt valued and were happy in their work. Staff said, “I can confidently say it is the best place to work. Both [registered manger] and [training and recruitment manager] have given me unconditional support throughout my work” and “[Registered manager] sets a very high standard and we all follow gladly. The high respect I have for [registered manager] motivates me to work very hard to keep the reputation of the company spotless.”
Management roles were clearly defined and there were effective quality assurance processes in place. People were complimentary of the service and relatives told us, “Out of all my experience of care this is the best one."
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 10 December 2018 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was the first planned comprehensive inspection of the service.
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.