Spire Home Care & Training

Updated 1 March 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 completed 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 homes.

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 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 8 February 2023 and ended on 14 February 2023. We visited the office location on 8 February 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 also reviewed notifications that the registered provider had sent to us since the last inspection. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and care coordinator. We reviewed a range of records. This included 8 people’s care records, 3 staff files, training records, staff supervision records and medicine administration records. We also looked at audits and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures. Following the inspection, we spoke with 6 people who used the service and 4 relatives to seek their views of the service. We also contacted 6 members of staff to ask them questions about their roles and to confirm information we had received about the service during our inspection.

Updated 1 March 2023

About the service

Spire Home Care & Training is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. The service was supporting 62 people at the time of inspection. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care.

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

Staff understood what abuse was and the actions to take if a person using the service was being abused. Risks to people were identified and care was planned to mitigate the risks. The provider had effective recruitment procedures to make safe recruitment decisions when employing new staff. There were enough staff working for the service to meet people’s needs. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection. Staff assisted people to have their medicines as prescribed.

Staff received training, supervision and support to give them the necessary skills and knowledge to help them care and support people effectively. 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 maintained good physical and mental health because the staff team worked closely with other health and social care professionals. People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their needs.

People received care and support in accordance with their preferences, interests and diverse needs. Care plans contained information about people's needs and were reviewed regularly to ensure people received the care and support they needed. The provider had a complaints policy in place, which included who to contact to raise a complaint and how it would be dealt with.

The registered manager operated an open and inclusive culture where people, relatives, staff and other professionals were encouraged to help improve the service provided to people. Staff had access to a range of policies and procedures and this helped them to carry out their role. People were treated equally regardless of their abilities, background, lifestyle, values, beliefs and their cultures were respected. The registered manager worked in partnership with other organisations to support and care for people.

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

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection the service was rated Good (report published 16 December 2021).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about how risks to people were assessed, what actions staff had to take in an emergency, how staff helped people to move around, pressure area care, staff training, incidents and accidents, care planning and record keeping. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

Follow up

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