Archived: We are the Care Company Limited

Updated 5 June 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type: We are the Care Company is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The service currently supports adults with learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorder, older people and people with a physical disability. The service is also registered to support children between the ages of 0 and 12 however they have not worked with children for some time.

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 48 hours’ notice of the inspection to ensure the provider was able to meet with us at the registered office.

What we did: Prior to the inspection we reviewed the intelligence we held about the service. This included the Provider Information Return (PIR) which providers are required to send us. The PIR includes key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. Providers are also required to notify us of specific events which include, safeguarding concerns, events that stop a service and deaths. We reviewed all the notifications we had received since the last inspection.

As part of the inspection we spoke with six people who used the service and one relative. We spoke with six staff members including support workers, field supervisors and the registered manager and looked at 4 staff recruitment files. We looked at five care files and numerous records held by the service. These included the training records, complaints, audits and actions plans.

We also contacted a number of professionals working with the provider to allow them the opportunity to share any relevant information.

Updated 5 June 2019

About the service: We are the Care Company are a domiciliary care provider that supports people in their own homes. The company currently supports 140 people, 66 of whom receive personal care that is subject to regulation by the Care Quality Commission. The provider supports people with re-enablement following discharge from hospital and supports carers in conjunction with the local carers centre.

The registered office is in an accessible building near local amenities.

People’s experience of using this service: People were safeguarded from harm by staff who were trained to recognise and report any signs of abuse. People were supported by sufficient staff and risks to people’s safety were assessed. People were supported by staff who were trained to administer medicine and promoted good infection control. If accidents or incidents occurred these were reviewed by the provider.

People’s care needs were assessed by the provider and information from other professionals was utilised to ensure continuity of care. Staff received training relevant to their role and supported people with meal times and accessing health care as required. The principals of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were met.

People felt well treated by the provider and were able to express their opinions. People’s dignity was protected as staff were trained to carry out tasks in a sensitive way.

People’s care was tailored to their specific needs and people were given information about their care provision on a weekly basis. People knew how to make a complaint and raise a concern and there was a system in place to ensure any investigations happened. People were supported by the provider as they approached the end of their life and care plans were revised with other involved parties.

People told us that they felt they received a good service and that their feedback was frequently requested. Staff were confident they understood the roles of various people in the organisation. People were engaged with the service and the provider engaged with wider networks and partnerships to learn and improve the service being offered.

We have rated this service as good. More information is in the full report

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated as good. (Report published 28 November 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection carried out in line with our inspection methodology.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service and any intelligence received. We will inspect the service as required under our inspection methodology.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk