Ultimate Care Agency Limited

Updated 9 June 2023

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 completed by one adult social care 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 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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider/registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 23 May 2023 and ended on 31 May 2023. We visited the location’s office on 23 May 2023.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we had received about the service, including registration reports. 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 a family member of the person who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 2 members of care staff, the compliance manager and the provider/registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included the person's care records and medication records. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment, training and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including training information, policies and procedures were reviewed. We received feedback from 2 professionals who had regular contact with the service.

Updated 9 June 2023

About the service

Ultimate care Agency is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care for people who require this due to old age, illness or disability. 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. At the time of the inspection the agency was providing care for one person.

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

People benefitted from a management and staff team who were committed to ensuring they received a service which was caring. We received positive feedback from a family member about the service their relative was receiving which they felt was kind and compassionate. External health and social care professionals spoke very highly of the care staff and the registered manager.

A family member told us they felt their relative was safe and secure when receiving care. The person was supported to meet their nutritional and hydration needs, medicines were safely managed and staff contacted healthcare professionals when required. Staff followed all necessary infection prevention measures.

The family member had been involved in the care planning and the care plan was comprehensive and reflected people's individual needs and choices. Staff were responsive to people's needs, which were detailed in care plans. Individual risk assessments and risks relating to their home environment were detailed and helped reduce risks while maintaining their independence.

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. Staff understood consent and were clear that people had the right to make their own choices.

Safe recruitment practices were followed and appropriate checks were undertaken, which helped make sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in their own homes. There were enough care staff to maintain the schedule of visits. Staff told us they felt supported, received regular supervision and training.

People had regular contact from the registered manager. The family member and staff were confident the registered manager would listen to them and take any necessary action should the need arise.

A range of audits and quality monitoring processes were in place and the registered manager sought feedback through the use of regular reviews.

At the time of this inspection the service was supporting a person with a learning disability. We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support: The model of care maximised the persons choice, control and independence.

Right Care: Care was person-centred and promoted dignity, privacy and human rights.

Right Culture: The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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 10 August 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date the service was registered.

Follow up

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