E2K Care

Updated 17 August 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 was completed by 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.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and specialist housing.

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. The registered manager was also the nominated individual and company director for the service. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 23 June 2023 and ended on 11 July 2023. We visited the location’s office on 29 June 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 6 people and 5 people’s relatives to gain their feedback on the service. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, the joint company director, the assistant manager and 3 care workers. We sent out surveys to staff and received and reviewed 2 responses. We reviewed 4 people’s care plans and risk assessments, and multiple medication records. We looked at 4 staff recruitment files, as well as a range of documents used for oversight and governance, including audits, policies and procedures. We received written feedback from 3 professionals who work with the service.

Updated 17 August 2023

About the service

E2K Care is a home care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides support to people with sensory impairments, physical disabilities, and those living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 29 people using the service.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. There were 27 people who received support with personal care.

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

Recruitment files did not always contain all the information required. The provider acted straight away during the inspection and introduced a new oversight system. We have made a recommendation on recruitment practice. People told us they felt safe with kind and compassionate staff, and their needs were consistently met. Incidents, accidents, and safeguarding matters were recorded and acted upon. Risk assessments were in place to guide staff on how to support people safely and minimise risks. Staff employed good infection prevention and control practice. People received their medicines as prescribed, to support their health and wellbeing.

Whilst the provider had referred safeguarding concerns to the local authority for investigation, they had not also notified the CQC. Systems and processes were in place to ensure quality assurance across the service. However, gaps in recruitment files had not been identified. There was a positive and open learning culture. The management team were responsive to feedback, working well with other professionals to drive continuous improvement. People and staff were able to provide their views, and confident they would be acted upon.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 18 June 2019).

At our last inspection we recommended the provider consult best practice guidance on the use of surveillance in people’s homes. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on this recommendation and made improvements.

Why we inspected

We received information of concern suggesting the provider had not always made statutory notifications relating to potential safeguarding matters. These are notifications required to be sent to the CQC by law. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for E2K Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement and recommendations.

We have identified breaches in relation to failure to notify the CQC of safeguarding matters at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report. We have also made a recommendation on best practice relating to recruitment.

Follow up

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