Daisy Chain Home Support

Updated 1 May 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

Inspection team: This inspection was conducted by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Daisy Chain Home Support is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses, flats and specialist housing. It provides a service predominantly to older adults in Manningtree and the surrounding areas. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 23 people and employed 16 members of staff.

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

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that someone was available at the office. Inspection site activity took place on 11 March 2019 and telephone calls to people using the service, staff and relatives were made on additional days. We visited the office site location to see the registered manager and office staff and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did when preparing for and carrying out this inspection:

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about and we sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection, we spoke with four people and two relatives of people who use the service to ask about their experience of the care provided. We spoke to five members of staff including the registered manager who is also the provider, and administrator and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. These included four people's care and medication records. We also looked at five staff files including supervision records, records relating to the management of the service and a variety of policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.

Updated 1 May 2019

About the service:

Daisy Chain Home Support is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care to older people in their own homes within the Manningtree area. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 23 people with personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received care that was person centred, caring and responsive to their diverse needs. Staff ensured that people received care in a manner that they wanted. Staff demonstrated their commitment to ensuring people received appropriate standards of care and support. People and their relatives described warm and strong relationships they had built with staff and how they had exceeded their expectations.

People felt safe receiving care from the staff. Staff were deployed in suitable numbers, and they had time to spend with people and were not rushed. People received their medication by trained and competent staff. Staff were recruited safely, and incident and accidents were analysed for patterns and trends. Risks to people were assessed safely.

Staff had the correct skills to support people. They received regular training, support and supervision with their line manager. Staff also received an annual appraisal. People were supported to eat and drink in accordance with their needs. Decisions and consent to care and treatment was sought in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Everyone said staff were exceptionally kind and caring. Staff were able to describe how they ensured people's dignity was respected. People and their relatives said they were involved in their care plans.

The service was managed very well, the ethos and culture of the service was well implemented with the staff team that provided the care. Staff all spoke fondly about the registered manager and spoke about their roles with enthusiasm and pride. Audits were in place which were effective in highlighting any areas for improvement. Action plans were drawn up and shared with the staff team.

The registered manager engaged with people who used the service to ensure any areas where improvements were needed were being actioned. The registered manager was aware of their role with CQC and had notified us of all incidents as required.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (Report published 24 August 2016)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on the rating from the previous Inspection in line with our methodology.

Follow up:

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

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