Background to this inspection
Updated
2 September 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 carried out by 1 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 and specialist housing.
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 or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 12 July 2023 and ended on 25 July 2023. We visited the location’s office on 12 July 2023.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. 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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with the registered manager, 1 member of staff and 1 person who received a service. We viewed 1 care plan and associated risk assessments and 1 staff member’s recruitment, training and supervision records. We viewed quality assurance documents and policies and procedures related to the management of the service.
Updated
2 September 2023
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.
At the time of the inspection, the location did not care or support for anyone with a learning disability or an autistic person. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.
About the service
Approvez medi-care Ltd Newham is a domiciliary care service providing personal care support to people in their homes. At the time of our inspection 1 person was using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support
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 using the service told us they felt safe receiving care and support. Staff had received safeguarding training and knew how to report allegations of abuse. People had appropriate risk assessments in place to reduce the risk of harm they faced. The service monitored these risks and would update accordingly should people’s needs change.
At the time of the inspection, the person was not being supported with their medicines. however, staff still checked medicines to ensure they had not expired. Systems were in place to assess and reduce risks people faced when taking medicines and staff had received training. The risk of infection was reduced, and staff wore personal protective equipment to keep people safe. Independence was encouraged to help people maintain the skills they had.
Right Care
People told us staff were kind and caring and staff respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff respected people as individuals and did not discriminate. Equality and diversity training had been completed.
Care plans were personalised, and people told us the care received met their needs. People’s preferences were respected. Communication needs were assessed, and information could be provided in alternative formats for people to understand.
People told us staff were on time and stayed for the full duration of their call. People were pleased they had a consistent team of staff to provide them with support. Staff were recruited to the service following the providers policy and procedure and appropriate checks carried out to ensure staff suitability.
An assessment of needs was carried out before care was given and people felt involved in this process. Consent to care was requested before care began and people told us staff asked for their permission at each stage of care delivery. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink.
Right Culture
People and staff were complimentary of the support available from the registered manager. The registered manager was aware of being open and transparent and welcomed opportunities to learn after any accident or incident. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service and feedback was requested from people, relatives and staff.
Staff were supported with a full induction and training programme which involved shadowing an experienced member of staff. Records confirmed staff received supervision and systems were in place to provide staff with an appraisal.
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 13 November 2021 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.