We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Link Business Centre 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 The Link Business Centre, you can give feedback on this service.
646B is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. There were seven people using this service at the time of our inspection. 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
Since the last inspection the provider had made improvement to the service. The provider and registered manager had put in place audits to monitor the quality of the service and ensure they had oversight of the service. Staff and people using the service were asked for feedback and involved in the care and support provided. The provider was open and transparent.
People’s communication needs had been assessed and recorded and staff knew how to communicate with people, however the provider had not made information available to different formats such as large print. People receiving End of Life care were looked after by the palliative care team. There were no specific end of life care plans in place. We addressed this with the provider who completed these straight away. People knew how to make a complaint and said any concerns were always dealt with promptly.
People’s risks had been assessed and recorded. People said they felt safe and staff understood how to keep people safe from the risk of abuse. There were systems in place to record and investigate incidents and staff knew how to raise and report concerns. Staff had been recruited safely and in line with the company’s recruitment policy. There were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs. The service was not administering any medicines at the time of the inspection. Staff had received training and were following current infection control guidelines and had access to enough personal protective equipment [PPE].
Staff had received an induction and training suitable to their role and were having regular supervisions and spot checks which were recorded. People’s needs and choices had been assessed and recorded. People told us they received effective care that was personalised to them. Staff worked with other professionals to ensure people received the care and support they needed. 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.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 24 April 2020) and there was a breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 10 March 2020. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve governance of the service.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.
The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for 646B on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.
646b is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. The service provides care for older people and younger adults with needs relating to dementia and physical disabilities. There were two people using this service at the time of our inspection. 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
There was a registered manager in place who was open, transparent and approachable, but was not always in the office ensuring good governance was in place. They did not have a good oversight of the service. The registered manager was passionate about the care the service provided and acknowledged the shortfalls we found during the inspection. People complimented the service and their experience of the service was good. Planning and development was not always monitored or recorded in line with the providers policy and procedures. People were involved in their care and support and had the opportunity to give feedback about the service. The provider was aware of the duty of candour.
Risks were assessed, but not always recorded. Systems were in place to help protect people from harm and were in line with the providers policy and procedures. However, there were no systems in place to monitor when things went wrong, we were not confident incidents would be escalated or appropriate action would be taken. Sufficient numbers of staff were employed for the number of people using the service. Medicine systems were not in place as the service was not responsible for administering any medicines at the time of the inspection. The service followed infection control guidelines effectively.
Staff supervision and support was taking place, but not always recorded. People’s needs were assessed. Staff were knowledgeable about the people they cared for. People’s nutritional needs were recorded, but the service were not responsible for people’s nutritional needs at the time of the inspection. The service supported people to work with other professionals and agencies to ensure they received effective care. People were involved in decisions about the environment in which they lived. People were supported to live a healthy life style. The service was not always following the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, as they had not record appropriately information when someone lacked capacity.
People were cared for by kind, compassionate and polite staff. People were supported to express their views about their care and support and were treated with respect by the staff that cared for them.
People’s communication needs were met, but not always in the format they could understand. People were empowered to make choices and have control of their life. People were aware how to make a complaint and raise a concern. End of life policies and procedures were in place should people wish to discuss their end of life care needs.
We have made a recommendation around mental capacity assessments and knowledge.
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 19/03/2019 and this is the first rated inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the registration date of the service.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the well-led sections of this full report.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
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.