Background to this inspection
Updated
7 October 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. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one 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 houses and flats.
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
We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
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 judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with two people who used the service and relatives of two other people who used the service. We spoke with one member of staff, the deputy manager and the registered manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medicines records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service and three staff members.
Updated
7 October 2021
About the service
Autonomy Care Limited Salisbury is a domiciliary care service, providing personal care to people living in and around Salisbury.
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. On the day of the site visit, six people were receiving the regulated activity of personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe using the service. People were cared for by staff who knew how to keep them safe and protect them from avoidable harm. One person’s relative said, “I feel very confident with the staff. If [person] had a small accident, I know the staff are capable of helping if I am not there.” There were enough staff available to meet people's needs. People were supported to take their medicines safely. Incidents and accidents were reported, investigated and actions taken to prevent recurrence.
People's needs were assessed, and care plans were in place. People were cared for by staff who had been trained to carry out their roles and who were knowledgeable about the support people needed. 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 told us they were cared for by kind and compassionate staff. Staff understood the need to respect people’s privacy and dignity. One person’s relative said, “The service cares for us relatives too”. One member of staff said, “The care here is really good. Staff actually have time to build relationships with clients.”
Staff were knowledgeable about people's support needs as well as people's preferences for how they were cared for. People's feedback was sought. There was a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to complain if they needed to. No complaints had been received since the service started.
Systems were in place to monitor the quality of care provided and continuously improve the service. Staff spoke highly of the manager and said the service was a good place to work. One member of staff said, “The morale here is great. All the staff get on together, it’s lovely.” The service worked closely with other health and social care teams.
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 11/01/2021 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.