Percurra Chelmsford West and Brentwood

Updated 15 April 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 houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 08 March 2023 and ended on 15 March 2023. We visited the location’s office on 08 March 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we held about the service. 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 1 person who used the service and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 4 members of staff including the registered manager and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people’s care records, 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 15 April 2023

About the service

Percurra Chelmsford West and Brentwood is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. 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. At the time of our inspection there were 4 people receiving personal care support.

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

The provider’s processes for monitoring the quality and safety of the service were not always effective. We have made a recommendation about the provider’s quality assurance systems. The provider had systems in place to recruit staff safely; however, checks were not always completed robustly. We have made a recommendation about the provider’s recruitment processes.

People’s care was personalised. They were supported by a small, consistent staff team who knew them well and understood how they liked to be supported. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. 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.

There were systems in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse and staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns about people’s safety. Staff received medicines training and the provider had processes in place to monitor the safe administration of medicines.

Staff received an induction when starting in their role and were provided with appropriate training to support their knowledge. People and relatives told us the staff were kind and caring in their support.

The provider had assessed people’s needs prior to them receiving care and worked alongside other healthcare professionals to support people’s care where appropriate. People and relatives felt involved in the service and told us they were able to give feedback and discuss any concerns with the registered manager.

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 28 January 2022 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as the service had not been rated since its registration.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.