Catholic Care - Diocese of Leeds

Updated 18 March 2020

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 one inspector and assistant 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, as well as supported living settings so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

The service had three managers 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 a short period of notice of the inspection because the service is spread over a large geographic area and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before 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. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service about their experience of the care provided and two relatives of people who used the service. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered managers, senior care workers and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple 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.

Updated 18 March 2020

About the service

Catholic Care – Diocese of Leeds is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 36 adults with learning disabilities in their own homes and supported living settings at the time of the inspection.

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.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs, and staff had been recruited safely. People received their medicines as prescribed.

Staff received good induction, training and ongoing support to enable them to meet people’s needs effectively.

People were supported to access health and social care services, and to enjoy a balanced diet which took into account their choices and preferences.

People said staff were kind and caring, and staff knew how to protect and promote people’s independence, privacy and dignity.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Care plans contained highly detailed person-centred information on people’s needs, choices and preferences.

People were supported to maintain employment and access the community independently and lead fulfilling lives of their own choosing.

There were effective mechanisms of audit and oversight of the quality of the service. The provider engaged effectively with people and staff to ensure their opinions of the service were used to drive improvement.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update:

The last rating for this service was good (published 24 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.