Background to this inspection
Updated
14 January 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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
This inspection was carried out by two inspectors and two Experts 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. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating.
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 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that a manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered with us. We used this information to plan our 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 visited the office location on 5 and 15 October 2021. We also made calls to people that used the service, their relatives and the staff team.
We spoke with eight people who used the service and 16 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, operations manager, branch manager and seven members of staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included people’s care and medicines management records, staff files in relation to recruitment and training data. 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 in relation to people's care records. We also received feedback from six healthcare professionals.
Updated
14 January 2022
About the service
Caremaid Services Kingston is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of inspection, the service supported people with conditions such as dementia and mobility needs. Out of a total number of 35 people, 34 people were receiving personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We found evidence during our inspection for a breach of regulation and the need for this provider to make improvements.
Care records had not always included all the necessary information to provide staff with guidance on the support people required. This meant that people using the service had been placed at unnecessary risk of harm.
Some staff’s understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) was limited. Governance systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the care people received were not always operated effectively because the provider had failed to pick up the issues we identified during our inspection. We made recommendations about this.
Although some people reported that staff’s visits were occasionally shorter than expected, they felt safe supported by the provider. Staff were aware of the safeguarding procedure and the actions to take if they had any concerns about people’s safety. Recruitment checks were carried out to ensure staff were of suitable character to work with vulnerable people. People received the necessary support to manage their medicines as prescribed. Infection prevention and control measures were in place and followed by staff to ensure safe care delivery.
Staff read people’s care records electronically which helped them to access information easily when needed. Checks took place to monitor staffs’ performance on the job. Where people required support to meet their nutritional needs, staff had provided the required care.
People described staff as caring and kind. People were involved in their care planning and made decisions to inform staff about their wishes and choices. Staff respected people’s right to privacy and independence and approached to their cultural needs with sensitivity.
Personal information about people was included in care records to ensure staff knew people’s preferences and wishes. People had help to meet their communication needs as necessary. Provider’s complaints procedure was given to people so they could raise concerns as and when needed.
People, their family members and healthcare professionals felt that there was a good leadership at the service. The staff team had support to carry out their responsibilities effectively. The provider had developed good communication with the healthcare professionals to support partnership working.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This was the first inspection of the service since it registered with the CQC.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on when the service registered with us.
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.