Guild Care Domiciliary Care

Updated 17 October 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 was 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 25 and 27 September and was announced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector. We gave the service 48 hours notice of the inspection visit because we needed to make arrangements to visit people in their own homes and to ensure staff would be at the provider’s office.

Before the inspection we checked information that we held about the home and the service provider. This included information from other agencies and statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager about events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

Before the inspection we spoke with 29 people (or their relative) and asked them for their views of the service they received. During the inspection we visited two people in their homes accompanied by care workers. We spoke with both these people regarding the care and support they received and observed care workers providing assistance to people. We spoke with five care workers, the registered manager and the provider’s Director of Community Services.

We looked at the care plans and associated records for four people. We reviewed other records, including the provider’s internal checks and audits, staff training records, staff rotas, accidents, incidents and records of medicines administered to people.

Updated 17 October 2018

The inspection was announced and took place on 25 and 27 September 2018.

Guild Care Domiciliary Care provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. It covers the geographical area along the West Sussex coast from Littlehampton to Southwick. People receiving care had a range of needs such as older people with frailty, people with physical health needs and people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection the agency provided personal care to 157 people and employed 51 care workers.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

The previous report recommended improvements needed to be made regarding the assessment and management of risks to people, including the safe moving and handling of people. At this inspection we found risks to people were assessed and arrangements put in place to control these risks. As a result, the rating of Requires Improvement under Safe has improved to Good.

The majority of people said they received care at times they agreed to but there were some exceptions to this. Care plans did not give specific times when care workers should arrive at people’s homes to provide care and three people were critical of the times care was provided. The provider was aware of this and was taking action to reorganise the service and to recruit more care workers.

People said they received safe care from the care workers who had a good awareness of the importance of protecting people. Medicines were safely managed. Checks were made on the suitability of new staff to work in a care setting. Care workers followed procedures to prevent the spread of infection. Reviews of care and incidents took place.

Care workers were supported well and had access to a range of training courses including nationally recognised qualifications in care.

People’s nutritional needs were assessed and people were helped with food and drinks when this was part of their care package. 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.

Care workers treated people with kindness and respect. People were involved in decisions about their care. People’s privacy was promoted.

People’s needs were assessed and care plans reflected people’s preferences and choices.

The service was well – led and was responsive to the challenges it faced. There were strategic plans to develop and enhance its service provision. The provider ensured care workers were supported to develop their skills and knowledge. There was a system of checks and audits regarding the safety and quality of the service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below