Archived: District Care Ltd

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older and younger adults. At the time of our visit to the service office on 5 June 2019, there were 44 people using the regulated personal care service.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service was led by a highly motivated and compassionate registered manager who continued to strive to continuously improve the service and provide high quality care to people at all times. This was evident in the improvements the service had made since our last inspection to ensure people received high quality care at all times.

There was an extremely open culture in the service. People using the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about the service and these were valued and used in the ongoing improvement in the service.

The service had systems to continuously monitor, assess and improve the service provided.

People who used the service told us they were happy with the service they received. People were central to the care they received and were always consulted about their care needs and encouraged to make their own decisions.

People received personalised care, which was tailored to meet their individual needs.

There was a system in place to support people at the end of their life, when this care and support was required.

People shared very good relationships with their care workers.

People were supported by care workers who were skilled, highly motivated and caring.

The service had a system to ensure all care visits were completed. The systems for recruiting staff were safe.

Care workers supported people to keep safe, and acted when necessary to prevent any harm or abuse. Where required, people received safe support with their medicines. There were systems to reduce the risks of cross infection.

Staff were responsive in identifying and reviewing changes to support good health. Where people required support with their dietary needs, there were systems in place to do this effectively.

There was a complaints procedure in place. People’s concerns were responded to promptly and used to drive improvement.

Rating at last inspection: The service was rated good at their previous inspection of 12 October 2016, which was published 6 December 2016.

Why we inspected: This inspection took place as part of our planned programme of comprehensive inspections.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor this service according to our inspection schedule.

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

A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons.’ Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People we spoke with and their relatives were complimentary about the care provided. They told us they received safe and effective care by care workers who were kind and compassionate.

Systems were in place which provided guidance for care workers on how to safeguard the people who used the service from the potential risk of abuse. Care workers understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping people safe and actions were taken when they were concerned about people’s safety.

There were procedures and processes in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. These included risk assessments which identified how the risks to people were minimised.

Where people required assistance to take their medicines there were arrangements in place to provide this support safely.

There were sufficient numbers of care workers who had been recruited safely and who had the skills and knowledge to provide care and support to people in the way they preferred. Care workers had developed good relationships with people who used the service and understood the need to obtain consent when providing care.

People received care and support which was planned and delivered to meet their specific needs. People and/or their representatives, where appropriate, were involved in making decisions about their care and support arrangements.

Where care workers had identified concerns in people’s wellbeing there were systems in place to contact health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment. Where required people were safely supported with their dietary needs

There was a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to voice their concerns if they were unhappy with the care they received. People’s feedback was valued and used to improve the service.

There was an open and inclusive culture within the service. Staff spoke highly of the management team and told us they felt supported in their roles. Office staff and care workers understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to people. An effective quality assurance system was in place and as a result the service continued to develop.