Guardian Angel Carers Wimbledon & Kingston

Updated 10 February 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 homes.

Registered manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post although, the nominated individual who is in day-to-day charge of the service, has applied to the CQC to be registered with us. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the managers would be in their office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 9 January 2023 and ended on 10 January 2023. We visited the provider’s office on the second day of our inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they had become fully operational. 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 nominated individual/Business co-owner/manager in day-to-day charge, the new branch manager, the area quality and compliance manager and the other business co-owner. We also received verbal and email feedback from 1 person using the service, 5 relatives, a GP and 10 care staff who worked for the provider to get their experience and views about the care provided.

We reviewed a range of records. They included 4 people’s electronic care and risk management plans, multiple staff files in relation to recruitment, training and staff supervision, and various records relating to the management of the service, including staff rotas, training, and service level audits.

After our visit we continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after our inspection. This included staff whistle blowing and complaints policies, and the outcome of their most recent internal quality assurance audit. We received the information which was used as part of our inspection.

Updated 10 February 2023

About the service

Guardian Angel Carers Wimbledon & Kingston is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to adults living in their own homes. The Care Quality Commission (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. At the time of our inspection 12 older people were receiving a home care service from this provider.

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

People receiving a home care service, their relatives and community social care professionals all told us they were satisfied with the standard of care and support provided by this agency. 1 relative said, “I’m very happy with the standard of care and support they provide my [family member].” A second relative added, “We’ve been so lucky to find this agency. I would definitely recommend them. We can’t speak highly enough of them.”

People were protected against the risk of avoidable harm by staff who knew how to keep them safe. People were confident any concerns they raised would be listened to and dealt with appropriately. People received consistently good-quality and safe care from the same group of staff who were familiar with their needs, daily routines and preferences. The fitness and suitability of staff to work in adult social care had been thoroughly assessed as part of the providers robust staff recruitment procedures. Staff followed current best practice guidelines regarding the prevention and control of infection including, those associated with COVID-19. Medicines systems were well-organised, and people received their prescribed medicines as and when they should.

People were cared for and supported by staff who were suitably trained. Assessments of people’s support needs and wishes were carried out before they were provided with a service by this agency. Where staff were responsible for assisting people to eat and drink, their dietary needs and wishes were assessed and met. People were supported to stay healthy and well, and to access relevant community health and social care services as and when required. 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 were treated equally and had their human rights and diversity respected, including their cultural and spiritual needs and wishes. Staff treated people with dignity and respect, and upheld their right to privacy. People typically described staff as “caring” and “kind”. People were encouraged and supported to maintain their independent living skills, and do as much for themselves as they were willing and capable of doing so safely.

People's care plans were person-centred, which helped staff provide them with the individualised care at home they needed. Staff ensured they communicated and shared information with people in a way they could easily understand. People were encouraged to make decisions about the care and support they received at home and staff respected their informed choices and decisions. Where appropriate, people's end of life wishes and contacts were known and recorded for staff to refer to.

People were complimentary about the way the office-based managers ran the service, and how approachable they all were. The quality and safety of the service people received was routinely monitored by the managers, who recognised the importance of learning lessons when things went wrong. Managers promoted an open and inclusive culture which sought the views of people, their relatives and staff. The provider worked in close partnership with other health and social care professionals and agencies to plan and deliver people's packages of care at home.

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 19 January 2022 and this is their first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service which indicated they were no longer dormant and had been operational for almost a year.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect. If we receive any concerning information, we may inspect sooner.