Unique Community Services

Updated 8 December 2022

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 carried out by one inspector.

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 (CQC) 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 not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been in post for two months and was submitting an application to register with CQC.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 02 November 2022 and ended on 09 November 2022. We visited the location’s office on 02 November 2022.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed information we had received about the service since it registered with CQC. We reviewed CQC notifications. These describe events that happen in the service that the provider is legally required to tell us about.

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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service, although one of these was with the support of a staff member. We spoke with three relatives or supporters of people about their experience of the care and support provided. We have referred to these individuals as relatives in the report. We spoke with 13 members of staff, including members of the management team, the nominated individual and clinicians. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We received feedback from five professionals who worked with the service. Everyone’s comments have been incorporated into the report.

We looked at a range of records relating to the management of the service. This included two people’s care records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff support. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures and audits. We asked the registered manager to send us documents before and during the on-site inspection. These were provided in a timely manner and this evidence was included as part of our inspection.

We considered all this information to help us to make a judgement about the service.

Updated 8 December 2022

About the service

Unique Community Services is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes and flats. The service provides support to people with a variety of complex physical and mental health needs across a wide geographical area.

Not everyone who uses the service will receive personal care. Care Quality Commission (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. At the time of our inspection, five people were using the service.

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

People were kept safe from avoidable harm. Staff received training and systems supported them to recognise and report abuse to ensure people were safe. Risk assessments were completed and kept up to date. Staff had a good awareness of the specific risks faced by people they supported.

People, their relatives and professionals were positive about staff. People told us they were treated with kindness, respect and compassion. Staff knew people well and respected their individual choices, preferences and routines.

There were enough skilled staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were well trained, and the provider placed an emphasis on training, supporting and valuing staff to ensure they provided a high level of support to the people they worked with. Staff were positive about the service and they felt respected and well supported by managers.

People were supported by staff who followed systems and processes to manage medicines safely. We were assured that people were protected by the prevention and control of infection as far as possible.

People received support in line with support plans which met their individual needs and preferences. People and their supporters were involved in assessments, developing and reviewing plans which reflected their needs, strengths and preferences.

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.

Governance processes were effective and helped to hold staff to account, keep people safe, protect people’s rights and provide good quality support. People and their relatives felt confident to feed back on their care and support. Lessons were learned when things went wrong, and actions taken when necessary.

There was a strong sense of culture and importance was placed on values in the organisation. Staff were motivated by and proud of the service. They worked with people, relatives and the wider team to provide a high quality service with people at its heart.

The provider worked with a range of professionals and partner agencies to ensure people received effective support. Professionals and other stakeholders all gave positive feedback about the service.

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 30 September 2021 and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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