Care Plus

Updated 22 February 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 was planned to check 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.

At our previous inspection in November 2015 we rated the service as good. At this inspection the service remains rated as good. This site inspection took place on 14 and 18 December 2017 and was announced. The inspection was undertaken by one inspector and 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.

We reviewed information we held about the service. This included notifications of significant events that the manager had sent us, safeguarding concerns and reviewed the information included in the provider information return (PIR).

We spoke with 15 people who used the service and five relatives. We spoke with five members of staff, two care coordinators, the registered manager and the director. We looked at six people’s care records, the systems the provider had in place to monitor the quality of the service, staff recruitment files, training records and the electronic monitoring system. These records helped us understand how the provider responded to and acted on issues related to the care and welfare of people.

Updated 22 February 2018

The office inspection activity took place on 14 and 18 December 2017 and we carried out further checks on the service which included telephone calls to people using the service, their relatives and professionals which concluded on 12 January 2018. The inspection was announced. The provider was given 48 hours' notice of our inspection, because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in the location's office when we visited.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and also in specialist housing (retirement living services). It provides a service to older adults. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

At the time of our inspection the service provided personal care to 121 people. Most people were living within one of four retirement living schemes, however a small number of people were supported in their own homes in the community.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

We saw that staff carried out support in a safe way whilst maintaining people’s independence and dignity. People’s risks were assessed, and people were kept safe as staff had a good understanding of the types of abuse and knew how to report suspected abuse.

People received their medicines safely. Medicine records were completed and staff understood the procedures they needed to follow when supporting people with their medicines.

People were involved in their care and consented to their plans of care. Where people were unable to make certain decisions, we saw that these were made in people’s best interests when they are unable to do this for themselves.

People told us staff supported them in a caring and kind and respectful way. They told us Staff supported them to make choices about their care.

People told us they knew how to complain and the provider had an effective system in place to investigate and respond to any concerns or complaints.

The provider promoted an open culture. Staff told us that the management were approachable and that they listened to them. People were encouraged to feedback their experiences and these were acted on to improve the quality of care provided.

We found that the registered manager had robust systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided, and strived for continuous improvement.