S&P Care Services Ltd

Updated 4 May 2023

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector 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 homes and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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 registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 13 April 2023 when we visited the office and finished on 17 April 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection, we spoke with the registered manager and the supervisor.

We reviewed a range of records relating to people's care and the way the service was managed. These included care records for 5 people receiving personal care, staff training records, 4 staff recruitment files, quality assurance audits, incidents and accidents reports, complaints records, and records relating to the management of the service.

After the inspection

We spoke with 6 people and 4 relatives and we sought their feedback about the service. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance and records relating to the management of the service. We contacted 12 staff by email to seek their feedback. In addition, we contacted the local authority to obtain their views.

Updated 4 May 2023

About the service

S&P Care Ltd provides personal care services to people living in Aylesbury and surrounding area. At the time of our inspection 35 people were receiving personal care from the service. 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.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

At the time of the inspection, the location was not supporting anyone with a learning disability/autism. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.

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

Right Support: Staff received all the training they needed to meet people’s needs. Management had effective systems and processes in place to ensure oversight of the safety and quality of the service. People and relatives spoke positively about the service they received from staff. 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.

Right Care: The model of care maximised people’s choice, control and independence. Care was person-centred and promoted people's dignity, privacy and human rights. Care plans reflected the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. People were supported by staff who knew them well. Risks to people were identified and effectively managed. People had access to health care professionals. Medicines were managed safely; and people felt safe receiving support from staff. Appropriate checks were carried out when recruiting new staff to support people.

Right Culture: The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives. The service promoted positive care and support for people using the service. Staff spoke positively about the support they received from the management team. People were involved in decision making and their views sought to improve the service.

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 6 August 2020, and this is their first inspection

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection for a newly registered service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.