Next Care Ltd

Updated 19 December 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

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

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 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.

Inspection activity started on 22 November 2019 and ended on 25 November 2019. We visited the office location on 22 November, during which we conducted telephone calls to relatives. We conducted telephone calls to staff on the 25 November 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. Such as statutory notifications received from the provider. We did not seek feedback from commissioners as all people using the service were privately funded.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, two people’s relatives and five staff. We looked at various records, including the care records for two people using the service, quality assurance audits, staff training and supervision records, safeguarding information, and written feedback from people using the service.

Updated 19 December 2019

About the service

Next Care Ltd is a domiciliary care service. The service provides personal care to people living in their own homes and flats in the community.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The 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 the inspection the service was providing personal care to five people.

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

People’s safety was promoted by staff who followed guidance on how to reduce potential risk. People were protected from the risk of harm and received their prescribed medicines safely. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who were safely recruited.

People’s needs, and expectations of care were assessed, which included assessing people’s choices and needs based on their cultural diversity.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their life 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 were supported by staff who had the necessary skills and knowledge. Staff were supported through ongoing training and supervision to enable them to provide good quality care. Staff promoted people’s health by liaising with health care professionals when required.

People spoke positively about the support their family members received and told us staff were caring and kind. Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity. People and family members were involved in the development of the care plans, so staff could provide the care and support each person had agreed was appropriate to them.

Information was provided to people in an accessible format to enable them to make decisions about their care and support. People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint, and the provider had implemented effective systems to manage any complaints received.

The registered manager met the legal obligations. They worked with people and relatives to facilitate good quality care for people. The service had a positive ethos and an open culture. The registered manager was approachable, understood the needs of people, and listened to staff. Quality monitoring systems were used to develop the service and drive improvement.

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

Rating at last inspection

The rating at the last inspection was Good (published 18 August 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.