Archived: Care by Angels

Updated 15 February 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on the 19 December 2017 and the 9 January 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we already held about this service. This included details of its registration and notifications of significant events they had sent us. Prior to the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We contacted the local authority with responsibility for commissioning care from the service to seek their views.

During the visit to the office we spoke with the nominated individual and the registered manager. After the visit we spoke by telephone with two care assistants. We also spoke with one person that used the service and two relatives by telephone. We examined various records during the inspection. This included three sets of care plans and risk assessments, staff recruitment and training records, quality assurance and monitoring records and various policies and procedures.

Updated 15 February 2018

This inspection took place on the 19 December 2017 and the 9 January 2018 and was announced. This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered with the Care Quality Commission.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults. Five people were using the service at the time of inspection.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

During this inspection we found two breaches of regulations. The service did not have sufficiently robust staff recruitment procedures in place and quality assurance and monitoring systems were not always effective. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of the full version of this report.

Appropriate safeguarding procedures were in place and people told us they felt safe using the service. Risk assessments provided information about how to support people in a safe manner. Staff had a good understanding about infection control issues and used protective clothing to help prevent the spread of infection. Lessons were learnt when accidents or incidents occurred to help improve the service.

People’s needs were assessed before they began using the service. Staff received training and supervision to support them, in their role. Where the service supported people with meal preparation they were able to choose what they ate and drank. People were supported to access relevant health care professionals. People were able to make choices for themselves where they had the capacity to do so and the service operated in line the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People told us they were treated with respect and that staff were caring. Staff had a good understanding of how to promote people’s privacy, independence and dignity.

Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people’s individual needs and these were subject to review. The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to make a complaint. The service worked with other agencies to support people with end of life care.

Staff and people spoke positively about the registered manager. The service had systems in place for seeking the views of people on the running of the service.