Smeaton Healthcare (Plymouth)

Updated 28 April 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 team was made up of one inspector, two Assistant Inspectors and an 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.

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

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ 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 29 March 2022 and ended on 5 April 2022. We visited the location’s office 29 March 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we held about the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, the provider and the care coordinator. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and seven medication records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including safeguarding records, quality assurance records and training records were looked at.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We spoke with five people who used the service, four relatives and six care staff.

Updated 28 April 2022

About the service

Smeaton Healthcare (Plymouth) is a domiciliary care agency (DCA). The service provides personal care services to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 20 people were receiving personal care from 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.

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

People were kept safe from abuse and harm, by staff who knew how to report any concerns. The service had systems to report and investigate any concerns and had established links with the local authority safeguarding team.

Risk assessments identified how the risks associated with peoples care should be managed, and the action staff should take to reduce the likelihood of people experiencing harm. Staff understood the risks to people and delivered care in accordance with people's support plans. There were enough staff to keep people safe and meet their needs. Robust recruitment processes were in place to ensure only suitable staff were selected to work with people.

Staff had received training to enable them to meet people's needs effectively. We saw that supervision meetings for staff were held regularly and staff felt supported by the management team to perform their role.

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.

People felt they were treated with kindness and said their privacy and dignity were always respected. People's choices were respected, and staff were committed to supporting people to achieve good outcomes.

The registered manager and staff demonstrated a commitment to deliver person-centred care. People's care plans were personalised and focused on what was important to people. Care plans were regularly reviewed, and people and their relatives were involved in the reviews.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. The registered manager was committed to ensuring continuous learning was embedded within the service. The service worked in partnership with other health and social care organisations to achieve better outcomes for people using 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 27 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Follow up

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