Archived: Zinnia Care Limited

This inspection took place between 26 November and 6 December 2018 and was unannounced.

Zinnia Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community and specialist housing. It provides a service to adults with learning and physical disabilities and older people, including people living with dementia who live in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 29 people using the service Not everyone using Zinnia Care Limited receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

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The service had a registered manager who was also the provider. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. We have rated safe as requires improvement. However, the overall rating remains Good.

This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People felt safe. Staff had received training in how to safeguard people and knew how to identify and report any concerns. However, some improvements were needed. Recruitment procedures were not consistently robust, candidates were not always asked to provide a full employment history or explain gaps in their employment history. Whilst staff knew how to keep people safe further developments were needed to assess activities or areas that could pose a risk to people as there was insufficient information to inform staff how to manage situations. The provider actioned both these areas immediately following the inspection.

Staff had received training, support and development to enable them to carry out their role effectively. People`s needs were assessed to ensure they received the support they required. People were involved in deciding how their care was provided. Staff supported people with their medicines and any dietary requirements.

People and their relatives said their privacy, dignity, and independence was respected. People confirmed staff always asked for their consent when providing care.

People knew how to raise any concerns or complaints. Any complaints were responded to and where necessary lessons learnt.

The registered manager had a good overview of the service and ensured people’s needs were met. There were systems in place to monitor and develop the service.

There was a manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At our last inspection on 17 November 2015, the service was rated as requiring improvement. At this inspection we found that the provider had made improvements to the way they monitored calls to make sure that staff arrived on time to provide care for people. Arrangements were in place to ensure there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s individual needs. The provider had an electronic monitoring system that ensured that they would know if calls were late. The provider had a complaints policy and procedures in place.

Care was provided in a way that promoted people’s dignity and respected their privacy. People received personalised care and support that met their needs and took account of their preferences. Peoples care plans were person centred and gave clear guidance to staff.

People told us they felt safe, happy and well looked after. Staff had received training in how to safeguard people from abuse and knew how to report concerns, both internally and externally. Safe and effective recruitment practices were followed to help ensure that all staff were suitably qualified and experienced to carry out their duties safely.

People were positive about the skills, experience and abilities of staff that provided care at their own home. Staff had received training relevant to their roles and had regular supervision meetings to discuss and review their development and performance.

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to health and social care professionals when necessary. They were provided with support to maintain a healthy balanced diet that met their individual needs.

Staff had developed positive and caring relationships with the people they cared for and knew them very well. People were involved in the planning, delivery and reviews of the care and support provided. The confidentiality of information held about their medical and personal histories was securely maintained in the agency office.

The provider took appropriate steps to monitor the quality of services provided, reduce potential risks and drive improvement.

There was a manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Arrangements were in place to ensure there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s individual needs. However we found that some people had experienced late calls.

Complaints were addressed in line with their complaints procedures. However we found that issue had not been resolved around staff arriving late.

Care was provided in a way that promoted people’s dignity and respected their privacy. People received personalised care and support that met their needs and took account of their preferences. However peoples care plans were not person centred, the registered manager confirmed they would address this.

People told us they felt safe, happy and well looked after. Staff had received training in how to safeguard people from abuse and knew how to report concerns, both internally and externally. Safe and effective recruitment practices were followed to ensure that all staff were suitably qualified and experienced to carry out their duties safely.

People were positive about the skills, experience and abilities of staff that provided care at their own home. Staff had received training and refresher updates relevant to their roles and had regular supervision meetings to discuss and review their development and performance.

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to health and social care professionals when necessary. They were provided with support to maintain a healthy balanced diet that met their individual needs.

Staff had developed positive and caring relationships with the people they cared for and knew them very well. People were involved in the planning, delivery and reviews of the care and support provided. The confidentiality of information held about their medical and personal histories was securely maintained in the agency office.

The provider took appropriate steps to monitor the quality of services provided, reduce potential risks and drive improvement.