Frantec

Updated 29 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 is 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.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we had received about the service such as notifications. This is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also reviewed all other information sent to us from other stakeholders for example the local authority and members of the public.

This announced comprehensive inspection was carried out by one inspector on 20 November 2018. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that someone would be available. The inspection activity started on 20 November 2018 and ended 22 November 2018. On the first day we visited the office location to see the manager who also owns the service. We spoke with the manager, the service manager and the business development manager. We reviewed seven people’s care records, records relating to the management of the service, training records, and the recruitment records of three new care workers. On 21 November 2018 we spoke with three people who used the service, three relatives and three care workers on the telephone. We also received e-mail feedback from one person. On 22 November 2018 we spoke with two people who used the service, three relatives and one care worker on the telephone.

Prior to our inspection in March 2018 we sent questionnaires to people to ask their views about the service. We received completed questionnaires from five people who used the service, 26 care workers and five community professionals.

Updated 29 December 2018

Frantec is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to adults. At the time of this announced inspection of 20 November 2018 there were 47 people who used the service. People received a live-in service where care workers stayed with people for a period of time. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of our inspection to make sure that someone was available.

At our last inspection of 29 February 2016, the service was rated good overall. The evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

The service was introducing new systems into the service to improve people’s experiences. Some of these were still in the development stage and we could not assess the impact they would have on people. We found that people were provided with an exceptionally caring service. People had positive relationships with their care workers. The care and support provided to people demonstrated to them that they mattered and were cared for. People’s dignity, privacy and independence were respected and promoted. People’s views were listened to and valued and the systems in place demonstrated that people’s views and experiences were valued.

The service continued to provide people with a safe service. Risks to people continued to be managed, including risks from abuse and in their daily lives. There were enough care workers to cover people’s planned care visits. Recruitment of care workers was done safely. Where people required support with their medicines, this was done safely. The risks of cross infection were minimised.

The service continued to provide people with an effective service. People were supported by care workers who were trained and supported to meet their needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care workers cared for them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Systems were in place to support people with their dietary needs, if required. People were supported to have access to health professionals where needed. The service worked with other organisations involved in people’s care to provide a consistent service.

The service continued to provide people with a responsive service. People received care and support which was assessed, planned and delivered to meet their individual needs. There were systems in place to support and care for people at the end of their lives, where required. A complaints procedure was in place.

People continued to receive a service which was well-led. The governance systems assisted the management team to assess and monitor the service provided to people. The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were identified and addressed. As a result, the quality of the service continued to improve.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.