Background to this inspection
Updated
21 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.
Inspection team
This 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 homes.
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 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 26 May 2022 and ended on 28 June 2022. We visited the office location on 26 May 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since registering with us. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We visited the office and spoke with the registered manager and a director. We reviewed a range of records. This included two care files and two staff recruitment and training records. We also looked at records used in monitoring the quality of the service, including policies and procedures.
Following our visit, we spoke with two relatives to gather their views about the service provided. We also spoke with two care workers to gather their views about the service.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.
Updated
21 July 2022
About the service
Mercy Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults. At the time of this inspection four people were using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Risks to people were not always identified, assessed and did not always have detailed management plans to provide staff guidance on how to minimise or prevent risks. The systems and processes in place for managing and administering people's medicines was not always safe. Appropriate recruitment checks were not followed to ensure staff employed to work at the service were fit to work in social care. Staff were not always supported through induction, training, supervision and appraisals. Each person did not have an appropriate care plan which provided staff guidance of how their needs should be met. An effective quality assurance system was not in place to identify issues and drive improvement.
We have made recommendations about staffing, needs assessment and seeking and acting on feedback
Before people started using the service, their needs were assessed however, this information was not used to develop an appropriate care plan of how they should be supported.
People were protected from the risk of abuse and staff understood their responsibility to protect people from the risk of abuse or neglect. There were enough staff available to support people’s needs and staff followed appropriate infection prevention and control procedures to minimise the risk of infections.
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 supported to eat and drink and to access health care services where required
People were supported by staff that were kind and compassionate towards them. People were involved in making decisions about their care and support and their privacy, dignity and independence was promoted. Staff understood people’s diverse needs and supported them in a caring way. People’s communication needs had been assessed and met. People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy; however, they told us they had nothing to complain about at this time. The service worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to deliver joined up care.
Rating at last inspection and update
This service was registered with us on 6 November 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
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 Person centred care, Safe care and treatment, Staffing, Fit and proper persons employed and good governance. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.