Background to this inspection
Updated
1 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.
Inspection team
This inspection was completed by one inspector and one assistant inspector. Two Experts by Experience telephoned people who received care from the service and relatives to obtain feedback about their 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
Collingswood Care Ltd 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
This inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection because we needed to be sure the provider would be available to assist. Inspection activity started on 17 March 2021 and ended on 7 April 2021.
Before the inspection
We reviewed information we held about the service. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as allegations of abuse, and accident and incidents. The local authority shared information with us. 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 judgement in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 19 people who used the service, nine relatives and one representative to gain their views about the service. We also spoke with 13 staff which included care workers, supervisor, care manager, office manager, trainee registered manager, and the provider. We received feedback from a further eight staff and one healthcare professional.
We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care plans and risk assessments. We looked at documentation relating to medicines for three people. We looked at three staff files and checked recruitment. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service such as audits and a variety of policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.
Updated
1 May 2021
About the service
Collingswood Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides care and support to people which includes personal care, food preparation and medication support. At the time of this inspection, the provider informed us they were providing personal care to 163 people who used the service.
Not everyone using Collingswood Care Ltd received a regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service received by people provided with 'personal care'; 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 and relatives were happy with the care workers who supported them. Comments included, “They are all good. I know their names and they know mine. They are friendly and we have a chat and a laugh together” and “I can’t fault them. They are so lovely.”
People felt safe and comfortable when staff were in their home. People were kept safe as potential risks had been assessed and managed. Staff recruitment practices were safe.
People felt staff were trained and experienced to meet their needs. Comments included, “They are very good. My care plan works well”, “Care staff are always helpful. Very well trained” and “Care staff are very professional. They go above and beyond.” However, one person told us some staff were not meeting their needs as well as others. We raised this with the provider who assured us they would follow this up.
People's medicines support needs were documented. People told us they were happy with the support they received with their medicines. We have made a recommendation about the management of medicines prescribed on a 'when required' (PRN) basis.
People and their relatives confirmed staff followed good infection control practice in their homes. Staff had completed infection control training and additional training specifically relating to COVID-19. Some staff were unsure of the order they should put on and take off Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The provider sent further information out to staff, so they understood their responsibilities in relation to this.
People told us the service was well managed. Comments included, “The management are very good. They are very responsive”, “Very well managed” and “It’s an excellent company” A healthcare professional told us, “They always feedback any concerns immediately to ensure the client is receiving the appropriate care. A very approachable friendly team”.
Since the previous inspection, the provider had restructured the leadership of the service. The management team were implementing new systems to improve care planning, monitoring, and training and had plans to further develop 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
The last rating for this service was Good (published 20 February 2020).
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to care plans, medicines management, missed and late visits, moving and handling, and personal care needs not being met. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led only.
We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
The overall rating for the service has remained the same. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the Safe and Well-led sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Collingswood Care Ltd on our website at www.cqc.org.uk
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.