Care2Care

Updated 16 May 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

This inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Care2Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community.

Not everyone using a domiciliary care agency receives support that is regulated activity. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people do receive a regulated activity we also take into account any wider social care provided.

The service is required to have a manager registered with CQC. At the time of this inspection the manager was not registered with CQC, however they were taking steps to address this. Once registered, the manager and provider are both legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of this inspection as the service is very small and we needed to be sure the managers would be available during the office visit.

Inspection activity started on 29 April 2019 and ended on 1 May 2019. We visited the service’s office on 1 May 2019 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did:

Before this inspection we reviewed the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. The manager had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We contacted social care commissioners who help arrange and monitor social care services. We also contacted Healthwatch (Sheffield). Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the feedback we received to plan our inspection.

On 29 April 2019 we visited two people and their relatives at home, to obtain their feedback about the service they received. We also spoke with another person’s relative over the telephone and three care workers. On 1 May 2019 we visited the service’s office and spoke with two managers. We checked three people's care records, three staff files and viewed a range of other records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 16 May 2019

About the service:

Care2Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of this inspection the service was supporting three people with personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe receiving care from Care2Care. People were supported to raise any concerns about their care and they told us the service responded promptly to resolve any issues.

Medicines were mostly managed safely. Staff were trained to support people with their medicines and their competency to provide this support was checked. We identified improvements could be made to audits completed by the provider, to ensure any medication errors would be quickly identified.

Staff were deployed effectively. The service provided care visits of a minimum of one hour per visit. Staff said this enabled them to care for people in an unrushed manner.

People told us they received care from a small number of regular care workers. People knew which care workers would be visiting them and they told us their care workers knew them well. People told us they received care in accordance with their preferences.

People were involved in developing and reviewing their care plans. They told us they felt in control of the care and support they received. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff received a range of training and regular supervision. This supported them to deliver effective care. People told us they thought staff were well trained and they said all staff were kind and caring.

People said the service was flexible and responsive to their needs. They said the managers responded promptly if they raised any issues with them. People gave us examples of how the service had provided them with additional support at times of crisis. They said they could rely on the service to be flexible and supportive at these times.

People and their relatives knew how to complain but they all told us they had not needed to.

Staff told us they enjoyed their jobs. Staff and people using the service all told us they would have no hesitation recommending the service to their own friends and family members.

People using the service, their relatives and staff all told us they thought the service was well managed. Staff said the managers were supportive. Without exception, people and their relatives told us they were happy with the care they received from Care2Care.

More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection the service was rated good (published 31 October 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating awarded at the last inspection.

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