Background to this inspection
Updated
29 April 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 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.
Inspection activity started on 1 April 2021 and ended on 8 April 2021. We visited the office location on 1 April 2021.
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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager and with two people who used the service about their experience of the care provided.
We reviewed a range of records including two people’s care records and medication records and a selection of staff files in relation to recruitment and staff development. 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.
Updated
29 April 2021
About the service
Carematch Home Care Ltd is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The service supported two people at the time of the inspection.
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 service registered with CQC in December 2019 and was temporarily inactive for a period to enable the provider to further develop their management and policy frameworks before delivering personal care to people.
This was the service’s first inspection since registration. We found the registered manager (who was also the nominated individual and owner of the service) was currently solely responsible for delivering care to people. However, they were actively recruiting staff in preparation for the service to expand.
As part of this inspection, we reviewed the working arrangements and policies which support the service. Safe systems were in place in line with best practice and the provider’s policies to safely recruit, manage and train staff to carry out the role of delivering personal care.
The registered manager had a sound knowledge of current health and social care guidance and legislation. They were open to making improvements and driving the quality of the service forward. They were making progress in developing their auditing, feedback surveys and governance systems to help monitor the service.
The registered manager was planning to review the provider’s business continuity plan to ensure the service would continue if the registered manager was absent from their role. They were also planning to review the governance systems used to scrutinise their own care practices and skills when delivering care as part of their improvement and development plan.
People's safety and independence were promoted. People praised the care that they received and told us they felt safe when being supported in their own home.
Potential risks to people's safety had been assessed, managed and was regularly reviewed. Safe systems were in place to support people with their medicines and infection prevention and control.
Extra measures had been put into place to keep people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic such as the use of personal protection equipment (PPE) when delivering care.
People were happy with the care and support provided to them. They praised the registered manager and told us they were supported to access health care services as needed.
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. People were consulted about their choices and individual decisions about their care. However, the documentation used to assess people’s mental capacity about specific decisions about their care and the role of a person’s lasting power of attorney was not always clear.
We have recommended the provider reviews their documentation relating to the assessment of people’s mental capacity, the outcomes and people’s representatives.
People told us their independence, rights, privacy and dignity was maintained at all times. People received person centred care which was based on their initial assessment, care needs and personal wishes. Care plans provided information about people’s support requirements, levels of independence and the management of people’s risks.
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 in November 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This service had not been inspected since their registration in November 2019, therefore, this inspection was carried out to gain assurances about the quality of care and systems used to monitor and manage the service.
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.