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Archived: Tillington Care Services Limited - Stafford

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

F6 Schott House, Drummond Road, Stafford, ST16 3EL (01785) 747690

Provided and run by:
Tillington Care Services Limited

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 20 May 2021

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 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

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors 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 48 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

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. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, the deputy manager and two care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two 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.

Overall inspection

Requires improvement

Updated 20 May 2021

About the service

Tillington Care Services Limited – Stafford is a Domiciliary Care Agency (DCA) registered to provide personal care. People are supported with their personal care needs to enable them to live in their own homes and promote their independence. At the time of the inspection the service supported seven people with personal care in their own homes.

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

Systems to monitor the service were not in place. There were no formal audit processes which meant there was no way of capturing or recording good practice. There was no overarching action plan in place to highlight what areas of improvements were being worked on or how the service intended to improve. The registered manager assured us, they would be reviewing all paperwork post inspection, which included implementing audits and a service action plan.

People’s medication records did not include ‘as required’ protocols. However, the registered manager ensured they devised these records prior to the inspection being completed and was in the process of implementing them.

People felt safe, they were supported by staff who had been safely recruited and they knew people’s needs well.

There were enough staff available to provide consistent care and to meet people’s needs and people were protected from the risk of infection.

People and relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care. Effective care planning and risk management plans were in place which provided guidance for staff to follow when providing support. These met people’s needs and were in line with their preferences. People were supported with their nutritional needs and advice was sought from healthcare professionals which was followed to ensure people’s wellbeing was maintained.

People were supported by caring and compassionate staff who promoted choices in a way that people understood. This meant people had control and choice over their lives. Staff provided dignified care and respected people’s privacy.

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.

There was an open culture within the service and the registered manager was passionate in ensuring people received good quality care.

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 26 November 2019 and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the management of the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. As a result, we undertook a comprehensive inspection as the service had not been previously inspected.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took

account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering

what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection.

We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to

hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.

We have identified one breach of regulation. The provider had not established an effective system

to enable them to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided (Regulation

17).

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.