Benhall Care

Updated 5 August 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 houses and flats.

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

This inspection was announced.

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 30 June 2022 and ended on 4 July 2022. We visited the location’s office/service on 30 June 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people’s relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and the care coordinator and received feedback from four members of staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people's care records and medication records. We looked at three 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.

Updated 5 August 2022

About the service

Benhall Care is a is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care in people's own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing live-in care and support to two people. 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

At the time of the inspection, the service provided live-in carers to people who needed support to live in their own home. The registered manager monitored the quality of care people received through staff observations and feedback from people and their relatives.

However further quality assurance checks needed to be implemented to ensure staff had access to accurate care records and the service fully complied with legal requirements relating to the safe recruitment of staff. We have made a recommendation about maintaining and monitoring accurate and complete records relating to people who use the service and staff

The registered manager had not always ensured fit and proper staff had been employed to provide the regulated activity of personal care.

Staff had access to paper copies of people’s care, medicines and risk management plans which directed them on how to support people to mitigate their risks and manage their medicines.

Staff were trained to care for the people they supported. However, the registered manager recognised that further training was needed to ensure staff had a suitable range of skills if the serviced was to expand.

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 by a small staff team who were familiar with their needs. The approach and kindness of staff were praised by people's relatives. They told us staff were kind and always respectful and

polite.

Staff respected people and their homes. They promoted people's independence and always cared for people with dignity and respect. Staff worked closely with people's relatives to monitor people's well-being.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns of abuse, accidents, incidents and near misses.

The registered manager was passionate about delivering good quality care to people. They valued people feedback and staff suggestions to help drive improvement. People's relatives and staff complimented the registered manager and told us they were approachable and provided support as needed.

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 in May 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This service had not been inspected since their registration; therefore, this inspection was carried out to gain assurances about the quality of care and systems used to monitor and manage the service.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the Safe and Well-Led sections of this full report.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

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 the staff recruitment at this inspection.

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 meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how

they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good and to monitor their progress.

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.