Archived: Companion Care Agency

Updated 20 July 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.

The inspection was the first at this service. To enable us to provide an overall rating, we initially commenced a fully comprehensive inspection looking at all five key questions (Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-Led). Due to a lack of engagement and information from the provider, we narrowed the scope of our inspection to look only at two key questions (Safe and Well-led). This meant we were unable to provide an overall rating for the service.

Inspection team

The 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 and flats.

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. The provider informed us during the inspection that the registered manager had left the service the month prior. However, the provider was required to notify us before the registered manager had left the service and failed to do so.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period 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 7 April 2022 and ended on 22 April 2022. We visited the registered office location on 7 April 2022, and a second unregistered office location on 14 April 2022.

What we did before the inspection

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 reviewed information we had received from the public and other health and social professionals. We sought feedback from the local authority although none was received. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We met with the director of Companion Care Ltd at the registered location, however, they informed us they no longer operated from this location and all records and documentation had been transported to a new office. We met with the nominated individual at the new office location, however, there were no records or documentation available for us to review. We made multiple requests for documentation to be sent to us electronically, however, most requests went unfulfilled. We did receive some care records for three people and organisational policy and procedures. The director and the nominated individual did not know where documentation was being stored.

We interviewed the provider, nominated individual and two care staff as part of the inspection. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also received feedback from one family member. We sought feedback from the local authority and external professionals, however, no feedback was received. We made multiple requests to the provider for contact details of people using the service, but none were received. We were therefore unable to obtain any feedback from people using the service.

Updated 20 July 2022

About the service

Companion Care Agency is a domiciliary care agency providing the regulated activity of personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides support to people with physical and cognitive support needs. At the time of our inspection there were four people using the service.

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

There was no robust system or process in place to safeguard people from abuse. There was no evidence care staff had received the necessary training and knowledge required to recognise or respond to signs of abuse. There was a significant lack of effective risk assessing and safety management systems and processes in place. This meant the provider failed to be proactive in protecting people’s safety. There was no evidence the provider had considered peoples’ ability to make their own choices and consent to care, therefore we could not be assured the provider was compliant with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA).

There was a lack of medicine recording systems in place, and the provider failed to demonstrate staff were adequately trained and competent to administer medicines safely. Individualised care plans were in place for people requiring support with their medicines, however, these were not effective. Due to a lack of monitoring and record-keeping, opportunities to learn lessons and improve quality of care were missed.

Staff had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) in people’s homes. The provider was unable to demonstrate they were making safe recruitment decisions, as there was no evidence pre-employment checks were being completed, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

There was a lack of opportunity for staff to raise concerns or make suggestions and there was no oversight of staff training. There was a lack of robust systems and processes in place to ensure quality of care. There was no registered manager in place, and there was a lack of oversight from the provider. Therefore, the provider could not be assured the service was well led. The registered provider was unclear of their legal regulatory responsibilities and there was some confusion over the organisational role of the nominated individual.

Staff and relatives of people using the service told us, if people had issues or concerns, the provider would respond and address them. There was some indication the provider was engaging with health and social care professionals to ensure that people’s needs were correctly assessed.

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

This service was registered with us on 10 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was the first at this service. We initially commenced a fully comprehensive inspection looking at all five key questions (Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-Led). Due to a lack of engagement and information from the provider, we narrowed the scope of our inspection to a focussed inspection, looking only at two key questions (Safe and Well-led). This meant we were unable to provide the service with an overall rating for this inspection.

Enforcement and Recommendations

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 monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to the safe care and treatment of people; the safe recruitment of fit and proper persons; and how the service was led, including oversight of care, at this inspection.

During the inspection, the provider submitted an application to deregister the service and cease all regulated care activities. This decision impacts our regulatory response to this inspection and enforcement action taken.

Follow up

The overall rating for this service is ‘Inadequate’ and the service should therefore be in ‘special measures’. This means we would typically keep the service under review and, if we do not propose to cancel the provider’s registration, we would re-inspect within 6 months to check for significant improvements. However, as this service has now deregistered, this process is not required. We will continue to monitor the situation with the closure of this service and reconsider our regulatory powers should changes in circumstances occur.