Background to this inspection
Updated
19 February 2020
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
The inspection was carried out by 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 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. The registered manager requested to delay the office visit to enable them to ensure the inspection did not disrupt people’s care. We accepted this request due to the size of the agency to ensure people received appropriate care and support.
We visited the office location on 17 January 2020.
What we did before the inspection
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We contacted Healthwatch prior to the inspection to gather any feedback about the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We reviewed information provided to CQC at the point of registration. There were no notifications of significant events submitted from the service to CQC since registration. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We talked to two relatives of the people using the service. We spoke with registered manager and two other staff members. We reviewed two people’s care and medicines records. We checked three staff files in relation to pre-employment checks and training records and a range of management records, including quality monitoring checks and the provider’s policies and procedures.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at further care and mental capacity records and provider’s management records including service development plan.
Updated
19 February 2020
About the service
Northpoint House is a domiciliary care agency providing care to older people who live in their own homes and flats. The office is based in Woking and all the supported people live in the local area.
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. There were two people receiving support with personal care at the time of our inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received care and support responsive to their needs and lifestyle choices. Staff supported people to feel in control of their lives and encouraged them to accept care in a gentle and kind way, respecting their wishes and choices. People were treated with dignity and their independence was promoted by staff.
People were protected from avoidable harm by staff who knew how to support them safely and what to do should there be any concerns around their health, safety or wellbeing. The provider had good systems in place to address any potential risks to people and safeguard them from abuse.
The provider involved people and their relatives in care planning and ensured that open and transparent communication was in place, enabling them to provide ongoing feedback and working proactively to address any changes. Staff worked with people’s families to source additional support and refer them to appropriate healthcare services when needed.
Staff received training and support to be able to provide quality care. People were encouraged and supported to access their local community. The provider ensured the care visits were timely and flexible. The registered manager followed safe recruitment practices and ensured only suitable staff was employed by the organisation.
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.
The provider championed positive and open culture where people were treated in a personalised and inclusive way. The registered manager implemented good governance systems and monitored care delivery effectively to ensure continuous development of the service in line with national best practice guidance and legal requirements. The provider worked in partnership with local authority, healthcare professionals and other care providers in the local area.
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 19 February 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date the service registered with us.
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.