Felix Health

Updated 9 November 2021

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 one inspector.

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

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 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 27 September October 2021 and ended on 13 October 2021. We visited the office location on 6 October 2021.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and a quality assurance officer about how the service was managed. Both provided us with the information we requested as part of the inspection. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and two medicine 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 audits, policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We spoke by telephone with three people who used the service, two relatives, and three care staff. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, quality assurance records and staff meeting minutes. We reviewed feedback we received from care professionals we had contacted as part of this inspection.

Updated 9 November 2021

About the service

Felix Health provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, the service provided personal care to five people. 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.

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

The provider had completed pre-assessment of needs before people started using the service. Staff regularly reviewed care plans and this provided staff with information how they should support and meet people’s needs. Each person had a risk assessment to minimise risks to their health and wellbeing. The service had safeguarding procedures in place.

Good staff recruitment processes were in place to ensure staff were trained, experienced and safe to provide personal care. There were enough staff at the service and the management ensured that staff were supported to deliver effective care. People and relatives felt staff were kind and compassionate. People's preferences such as those in relation to their diet, cultural and communication were detailed in their files and staff understood how to ensure people’s privacy and dignity when providing care.

Staff who administered medicines had relevant experience and training. Various aspects of the service such as medicines, incidents, care plans and punctuality were monitored and audited. This ensured that, where shortfalls were identified, the service took remedial actions. Staff worked with other health and social care agencies to ensure people's health, medical and dietary needs were met.

The service was managed well, and the registered manager sought feedback from people, relatives and staff through various means including annual surveys. The service also welcomed complaints.

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 14 October 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This service had not previously been inspected and we wanted to check that people were receiving safe care and support.

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.