Patkay Care Services Ltd

Updated 15 November 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector on both days of inspection. On the same day as the second day of our inspection, an Expert by Experience made phone calls to people and their representatives. 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.

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 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 September 2022 and ended on 5 October 2022. We visited the location's office on 29 September and 5 October 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service, including Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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 spoke with 1 person who received a service and 7 relatives of people who received a service. We also spoke with 5 members of staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people's care records, as well as 4 medication records. We looked at the recruitment of 2 staff members as well as records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at further quality assurance records.

Updated 15 November 2022

About the service

Patkay Care Services Ltd is a home care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people using the service.

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.

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

The recruitment of staff was not safely managed as some staff had started work before their DBS check was received. Some information was missing from recruitment records.

Some audits around medication and call times needed further detail to improve these. The registered manager was dedicated to making these improvements. Feedback from everyone who received care or worked at this service showed they felt it was well managed. Staff had regular meetings and felt there was effective communication. People felt involved in the planning and reviewing of their care needs.

One person and relatives of people using this service told us they felt safe when staff provided their care. Staff had been trained and understood their safeguarding responsibilities. There were sufficient numbers of staff and people were cared for by staff who were familiar with them and their care needs. People received their medication as prescribed from staff who were trained and assessed as competent.

Staff knew about the importance of offering people choice in their daily routines. People were supported to meet their dietary needs. Staff said they received a thorough induction as well as ongoing support. The registered manager was keen to ensure staff communicated key changes about people’s health and we saw they worked well with healthcare professionals.

Feedback we received about the staff was consistently positive. The registered manager strongly promoted people’s equality, human rights, diversity and inclusion.

People had sufficiently detailed care plans which described the care they needed. Reviews were taking place and these included gathering feedback about the service provided.

A system for reporting and responding to complaints and concerns was in place. One person and relatives told us they knew how to complain if they were dissatisfied. The registered manager took appropriate action in response to these issues.

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.

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 15 March 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report. The registered manager was responsive and has updated systems in response to our feedback.

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 a breach in relation to the safe recruitment of staff. 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.