Total Care Norfolk

Updated 29 May 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

This announced inspection was undertaken by two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

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 15 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 29 April 2021 and ended on 07 May 2021. We visited the office location on 29 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 reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.

During the inspection

We looked at various records, including care records for five people, as well as other records relating to the running of the service. These included two recent staff recruitment files, training records, medicine administration records, audits and staff deployment information. We spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager and business manager.

After the inspection

The registered manager sent us records to clarify auditing processes and arrangements relating to COVID-19. We spoke with three additional staff, two relatives and one individual supported by the service.

Updated 29 May 2021

About the service

Total Care Norfolk is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to 15 people 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.

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

People were supported in a manner of their choosing and at a time that they requested.

Staff showed a good awareness of people’s needs and offered support for them to maintain their spiritual needs and activities that were important to the people.

The registered manager demonstrated a strong understanding of people’s support needs and gave clear leadership to their team, the service has improved and is now compliant with the regulations.

Additional internal audits monitored the safety and well-being of those supported.

Staff felt clear in their job roles and had the necessary skills and training to support people safely.

Medicines were administered in a safe manner.

People were assessed and care plans developed prior to support being offered. The support provided was regularly reviewed as individuals needs changed.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service at the previous premises was inadequate (published 21 January 2020), following a focussed inspection. At the previous inspection the service was found to be in breach of regulation 12, due to unsafe medicines management, regulation 19 had failed to operate an effective recruitment procedure, regulation 18 the provider failed to ensure that there were

sufficient numbers of suitably competent,

skilled and experienced staff,regulation 17 had failed to operate effective systems to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Exiting special measures

This service has been in Special Measures since 21 January 2020. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service in no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

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.