Background to this inspection
Updated
26 November 2021
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
A single inspector carried out this inspection. They were supported by an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
The service had a manager 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 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we received about the service. We asked the registered manager to send us information relating to staff training and policies relating to medicines and infection control. We sought feedback from professionals who work with the service. We used this information to plan our inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people who used the service and the relatives or friends of four other people about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care and medicines records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including complaints, incidents and accidents and call logs.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.
Updated
26 November 2021
JC Michael Groups Ltd Bexley is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were 40 people receiving personal care from the service.
People’s experience of using this service
There were safeguarding adults’ procedures in place and the registered manager and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work and there were enough staff to meet people’s care and support needs. Where required people received safe support from staff to take their medicines. The provider and staff were following government guidance in relation to infection prevention and control. Staff had received training on COVID 19 and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The service had COVID 19 contingency plans in place that made provisions for safe care in the event of an emergency.
People’s care and support needs were assessed before they started using the service and care plans were in place to ensure staff could support them safely. Staff received training relevant to people’s care needs. Where required people received support from staff to maintain a balanced diet. 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 support this practice.
People and their relatives told us they were treated respectfully, and they had been consulted about their care needs. People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy with the service. People had access to end of life care and support if it was required.
Effective systems were in place to monitor the quality of service that people received. Staff said teamwork was good and they received good support from the registered manager. The registered manager took people and their relatives views into account through satisfaction surveys and telephone monitoring calls and feedback was used to improve the service. The registered manager and staff worked with health care providers to plan and deliver an effective service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection: Requires improvement (report published on 18 May 2020). The service had been rated requires improvement on three previous inspections. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection to assess if the provider was complying with our regulations.
Follow-up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service in line with our monitoring activity, which will inform when we next inspect the service.