Background to this inspection
Updated
29 April 2022
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
This inspection was completed 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.
Registered Manager
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.
At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 22 March 2022 and ended on 28 March 2022. We visited the location’s office on 22 March 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke to four people, and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the manager, service manager and care staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and 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.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at audits, training and governance.
Updated
29 April 2022
About the service
Carers Trust North Bucks & Milton Keynes is a domiciliary care agency. They provide personal care to people living in their own homes. 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. At the time of the inspection 30 people were receiving personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Not all known risks to people had been assessed and strategies to mitigate these risks recorded. However, the manager implemented the risk assessments immediately following the site visit.
Medicines recording required improvement. Medicine administration records were not always recorded correctly with all of the information required to monitor medicines.
Care plans were not always person centred or contained factual up to date information within them. The manager made the amendments needed immediately after feedback was given.
Systems and processes were not always effective in ensuring all documents were accurate, complete and up to date. Audits completed had not identified the concerns we found on inspection. The manager was in the process of improving how the oversight of the service was completed.
People were supported by staff who had been recruited safely and had the required training to meet their needs. Staff understood safeguarding processes and how to recognise signs of abuse.
People told us staff were kind and caring and that people felt safe with staff. Staff respected people's right to privacy and dignity and promoted independence.
Staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment and followed government guidance on reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Staff supported people to live healthy lives and contacted health professionals as required.
People, relatives and staff all knew how to complain. Policies and procedures were in place identifying how and when a complaint needed to be responded by. Complains received had been investigated within the providers specified timeframe.
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
This service was registered with us on 16 September 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on a newly registered service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.