Archived: PillarCare Agency

Updated 18 January 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 8 December 2017. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an expert by experience who telephoned a selection of people using the service and their relatives. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses care services.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service, which included any notifications of significant events and other contact the provider may have had with the Care Quality Commission.

During our inspection we spoke with one person using the service as other people preferred we contacted a relative or friend and we spoke with eight of these people. We also spoke with three care workers (and received e mail feedback from nine other care workers), three agency office staff and the provider and received feedback from one health and social care professional.

We gathered evidence of people’s experiences of the service by conversations we had with them and their relatives and reviewing other communication that the service had with these people, their families and other care professionals.

As part of this inspection we reviewed four people’s care plans and care records. We looked at the induction, training and supervision records for four recently recruited staff and the training and supervision records for all of the care staff team. We also reviewed other records such as complaints information and quality monitoring and audit information.

Updated 18 January 2018

PillarCare agency provides support and care for people in their own homes across a number of London boroughs, predominantly in the north, west and south west London.

This inspection was at short notice, which meant the provider and staff did not know we were coming until 48 hours before we visited the service. At the last inspection on 24 November 2015 the provider met all of the legal requirements we looked at and was rated good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults and a small number of younger disabled adults.

Not everyone using PillarCare agency receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

At the time of our inspection the provider was also the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 using the service and their relatives told us they felt safe. People were looked after by staff who knew them well and gave them the time and attention they required.

Any risks associated with people’s care needs were assessed, and the action needed to minimise risks was recorded and were updated regularly. Staff were aware of the potential risks that people may face.

Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and their individual preferences. The people using the service were mostly of the Jewish faith although people of other faiths were also cared for. People were not discriminated against due to their heritage, cultural or religious beliefs, illness or disability.

Staff told us they received training to support them with their role when they joined the service and on a continuous basis, to ensure they could meet people’s needs effectively. Staff training records confirmed this and there was an emphasis on staff obtaining qualifications in health and social care.

The service was diligent with ensuring that the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were complied with and proper consultation took place to help protect people’s human rights.

People were encouraged and supported to maintain their independence with no more than the necessary support from staff that was required to help them retain their independence.

People received regular assessments of their needs and the service worked co-operatively with people’s families and other health and social care providers.

People who used the service, relatives and stakeholders had opportunities to provide their views about the quality of the service. The provider worked well to ensure that people were included in decisions about their care. People’s views about how the service was run were respected and taken seriously.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.