Background to this inspection
Updated
20 July 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. 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
One inspector visited the office and met people at home. Another inspector telephoned people and relatives.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 8 May 2019 and ended on 31 May 2019. We visited the office location on 8 and 24 May 2019.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We visited one person who used the service and their relative. We also had telephone calls with four relatives about their experience of the service. We spoke with five care workers, the trainer, the care coordinator and the registered manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision, and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.
Updated
20 July 2019
About the service
Green Cross Medicare Limited provides personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection it was caring for 23 mostly older people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. People said they felt safe with staff, who had the training and skills they needed to provide care safely and effectively. People had regular staff who arrived when expected.
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’s physical, mental health and social needs were comprehensively assessed. There were regular reviews to ensure care was meeting their needs. Staff were well supported through training and supervision. They were proactive in supporting people to manage their health.
People and relatives said staff were kind, caring and respectful. They felt staff understood them and knew what was important to them. They were involved in decisions about their or their loved one’s care. Where people had preferences regarding the gender of staff who provided their care, these were respected.
People and relatives spoke highly of the care provided. They said the service was flexible to accommodate special requests or changes. Care was tailored to people’s individual needs. There were aspects of outstanding practice in the way the service went beyond expectations to counter social isolation.
People, relatives and staff expressed confidence in the way the service was run. They described it as open and welcoming. The registered manager was readily available to people, relatives and staff. They had an open and honest approach to complaints. Quality monitoring and improvement were robust.
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 good (published 10 November 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.