Greigcare Limited

Updated 5 December 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 6 November 2018 and was an announced inspection. The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and one 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.

We told the provider two days before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because the registered manager is sometimes out of the office supporting staff or visiting people who use the service. We needed to be sure that someone would be in.

Before the inspection we looked at previous inspection reports and notifications received from the provider. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. This ensured we were addressing any areas of concern.

We spoke with eight people and five relatives. We looked at five people’s care records and four medicine administration records (MAR). We spoke with the registered manager, the quality monitoring officer, the office coordinator and five care staff. We reviewed a range of records relating to the management of the home. These included six staff files, quality assurance audits, Staff communication letters, incident reports, complaints and compliments. In addition, we reviewed feedback from people who had used the service and their relatives.

Updated 5 December 2018

We inspected Greigcare on 6 November 2018 and the inspection was announced.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community in Banbury and the surrounding areas. It provides a service to older adults some living with dementia, disabilities, sensory impairments and mental health needs. Not everyone using Greigcare receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. On the day of the inspection the service was supporting 73 people.

There was registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good:

The service continued to provide safe care to people. People told us they felt safe receiving care from Greigcare. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and understood their responsibilities to identify and report any concerns. The provider had safe recruitment and selection processes in place, these included completing checks to make sure new staff were safe to work with vulnerable adults.

Staff demonstrated they understood how to keep people safe and records showed that risks to people's safety and well-being were managed through a risk management process. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs. Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed.

People continued to receive effective care from staff who had the skills and knowledge to support them. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the procedures in the service supported this practice. People were supported to maintain good health. People were supported to meet their nutritional needs.

The service continued to provide support in a caring way. People benefited from caring relationships with staff who treated them with dignity and respect. People were involved in their care and supported to remain independent. The provider had processes in place to maintain confidentiality.

The service continued to be responsive. People received personalised care by staff who understood people's individual needs and preferences. People's changing needs were responded to appropriately. The service was flexible and supported people to attend social events and prevent social isolation. People knew how to complain and complaints were dealt with in line with the provider’s complaints policy.

At our last inspection of Greigcare on 19 May 2016, we rated the service as requires improvement in well-led. At this inspection we found the service had improved to good in well-led because, people told us the service was well managed. People knew the management team and spoke positively about them. The service sought people's views and opinions and acted upon them. The registered manager and management team promoted a positive, transparent and open culture. Staff told us they worked well as a team.

The service had effective systems to assess the quality of care the service provided. Learning was identified and action taken to make improvements which improved people's safety and quality of life.