Universal Care and Support Services Ltd

Updated 21 December 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 team consisted of 1 inspector and 1 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. The inspector visited the service and the Expert by Experience gathered feedback about the service from people and their relatives via the telephone.

Service and service type

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

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 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 the information we had received about the service since registering with us in September 2022. 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 2 people who used the service and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 5 staff including the nominated individual, registered manager, and 3 care staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records, including 3 people’s care records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff support, and a range of records relating to how the service operated and was managed.

Updated 21 December 2023

About the service

Universal Care and Support Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides support to older and younger people with a range of needs. This includes people with physical disabilities. At the time of our inspection the service supported 3 people.

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

People and relatives spoke very positively about the service they received. Staff knew how to keep people safe and protect them from harm. Risks associated with people’s care and the environment were identified and assessed. People received their medicines safely, when needed, by staff trained in medicine management. Staff were recruited safely.

People and their relatives had confidence in the ability of staff to provide effective care. Staff development was supported through an induction when they started work. Ongoing training was provided to staff to ensure their skills and knowledge remained up to date. People had access to healthcare professionals to ensure their ongoing healthcare needs were met.

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.

People received person centred care and developed positive relationships with staff, who had a good understanding of their care and support needs. People’s right to dignity and privacy were respected and their independence was promoted.

People and relatives were involved in their care plans to ensure they reflected people’s preferences, religious and cultural beliefs and values. People knew how to make a complaint and feedback on the service was encouraged and used to drive forward improvements and learn lessons.

The registered manager had processes in place to monitor and review the quality of the service, for example, audits of care records. The provider had a contingency plan in place, to minimise any risks to the service running safely in the event of, for example adverse weather conditions. Staff felt supported by the management team.

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 20 September 2022, and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to provide a rating for the service.

Follow up

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