Premier Care Services Limited

Updated 24 January 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was undertaken by one 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.

The service had two managers registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are 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 72 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 7 January 2020 and ended on 9 January 2020. We visited the office location on 7 January 2020.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection, including notifications received about key events that occurred at the service and the action plan submitted following their last inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people and three relatives about their experience of care provided. We spoke with one of the directors, the two registered managers, three office staff, five care workers and the training provider. We reviewed a range of records including nine people’s care records, four staff files and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures. We also received feedback from the local authority quality monitoring team regarding their visits of the service.

Updated 24 January 2020

Premier Care Services is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 89 people at the time of the inspection. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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.

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

People felt safe receiving care from Premier Care Services. Staff had been trained and were knowledgeable in recognising and reporting signs of possible abuse. Risk assessments were carried out and regularly reviewed to identify any potential risks to people and how these were to be managed. Medicines management processes had been strengthened to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed. There were sufficient suitable staff employed to meet people’s needs. Staff adhered to infection control procedures to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. New processes had been implemented following incidents that occurred.

A new training provider was in place to ensure staff received appropriate training and updated their knowledge and skills to support people in line with best practice guidance. Staff received regular supervision and appraisal. The assessment process had been reviewed to ensure people were assessed in line with best practice guidance. The registered manager had improved their practice to ensure they adhered to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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. Where people required it, staff supported them with their meals. Staff liaised with healthcare professionals if they had any concerns about a person’s health or welfare.

Staff provided kind, compassionate care. People confirmed they were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were aware of people’s individual differences and supported people in line with their preferences. People and their family members were involved in decisions about their care and were part of the assessment and care planning process.

Care plans had been reviewed and updated to ensure they adequately reflected people’s care and support needs. New processes had been implemented to ensure people’s care needs were regularly reviewed. Staff were aware of people’s communication needs and adjusted their methods to ensure people were able to understand what was being communicated. Staff provided people with support at the end of their life when this was required. The complaints process had been reviewed and there was now greater oversight of all complaints to ensure they were managed appropriately and learnt from.

Since our last inspection the management team had been strengthened with an additional registered manager and two field supervisors. This enabled greater leadership and oversight of the service. Quality monitoring processes had been strengthened to ensure regular auditing and review of key areas of service delivery. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities. The registered manager was aware of their CQC registration requirements and was submitting statutory notifications about key events as required. People and their relatives were asked for their feedback about the service so this information could be incorporated into continuous learning and development of the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 9 January 2019).

The provider completed an action plan after our inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating and to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.