Salopian Care

Updated 10 October 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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector. An Expert by Experience made telephone calls to people and their relatives. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

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 short 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. We also needed to obtain people’s consent to contact them.

Inspection activity started and ended on 24 July 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 spoke with five people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 10 members of staff which included a care manager, training manager, care supervisor and four care staff. We also spoke with the nominated individual who was also a director and a registered manager. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We met with another director and registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were also reviewed.

Updated 10 October 2019

About the service

Salopian Care is a domiciliary care agency which provides assistance with personal to people living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection 50 people were receiving support with personal care needs. 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

The service was effectively managed by a team who were committed to providing an exceptionally high standard of person-centred care. Comments from professionals, people who used the service and their relatives confirmed this. The provider and management team promoted an open and honest ethos and learned from mistakes. Staff were very motivated and well trained and there were effective systems to ensure staff remained competent in their role. People’s views about the service were valued and there were effective procedures in place to continually monitor and improve the quality of service people received. The service went to great lengths to provide people with opportunities to be part of the local community.

People received a service which was exceptionally responsive to their needs and preferences. Staff went above and beyond to ensure people’s needs and lifestyle choices were respected. Staff responded quickly to changes in people’s well-being and sought the advice of professionals which resulted in a positive outcome for people. People were fully involved in planning and reviewing the care they received. One person told us, “I have input with the care plan and the supervisor comes and goes through it with me. I have the care plan here with me in my house.” People’s communication needs were assessed and understood by staff. People were provided with information in a format which met their needs. People felt confident that any concerns would be taken seriously, and action would be taken to address them. There were systems in place to ensure people’s preferences during their final days and following death were understood and respected.

People felt safe with the staff who supported them. One person said, “I feel very safe. What I like is that they go around on the later call and make sure all the windows are closed and that we are safe and secure before they leave.” Risks to people were monitored and procedures were in place to help keep people safe. There were safe systems for administration of people's prescribed medicines. People were supported by adequate numbers of staff who were safe and competent to work with them. People were protected from the risks associated with the control and spread of infection.

People were supported by staff who were well trained and competent in their role. One person said, “They certainly are very skilled and trained well in my opinion. I don’t know what I would do without them now.” People were assessed before they used the service to ensure their needs and preferences could be met. Staff understood the importance of ensuring people's rights were understood and protected. 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. People's health care and nutritional needs were monitored and understood by staff.

People were supported by kind and compassionate staff who ensured they were fully involved in decisions about their care. People were treated with respect and their right to privacy was understood and respected by staff. People were supported to remain as independent as possible.

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

Rating at last inspection

The service was rated good at our last inspection (report published October 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.