Cherish U Limited

Updated 6 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 an 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 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 a short period of 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 7 January 2020 and ended on 17 January 2020. We visited the office location on 13 and 14 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 reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection and sought feedback from the local authority. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 12 people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, administrator and five support staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records and multiple 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 and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 6 February 2020

About the service

Cherish U Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 37 people were using the service, all of whom were receiving personal care [help with personal hygiene and eating].

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We have made a recommendation. Following the last inspection, the registered manager introduced new auditing tools to improve quality assurance systems. During this inspection we found that systems to assess and monitor the quality of the service required further improvement as they had not always been operated effectively.

People received care that was safe and were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Safe recruitment procedures were followed to ensure that suitable staff were employed. People were supported to take their medicines by trained and competent staff and received them as prescribed. Accidents and incidents were recorded, and systems were in place to prevent recurrence.

People, and relatives where appropriate, were involved in decisions about their care. An assessment of people’s needs was carried out before they received a service to ensure they could be met. We were told “When we met with this company for the first time we were impressed by the fact that they asked us to tell them what we wanted from them and what we wanted them to do.” Staff received training relevant to their roles and their competency was regularly checked. Staff supported people to maintain their health and well-being.

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.

Strong and caring relationships had been developed between people, relatives and staff. People were treated fairly and without discrimination. Staff supported people to maintain their independence and were mindful of the need to treat people with dignity and protect people’s privacy.

People received care that was person-centred and individually tailored to their needs and preferences. A review of support plans was to take place to ensure a consistent standard which reflects the high quality of care provided. There was a procedure in place to handle and respond to complaints.

Since the last inspection there had been some changes within the provider’s management. The registered manager and staff felt that the changes were positive. The registered manager had informed us about significant events which occurred within the service. People and relatives we spoke with felt the service was well-run. The service worked well with other agencies.

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 14 January 2019) and we identified a continued breach of regulations relating to governance. At this inspection we found that sufficient improvement had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation.

Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has moved premises. We have used the previous rating and enforcement action taken to form our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do any by when to improve.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make further improvements to achieve a rating of good in the well-led domain. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.