Christies Care Ltd

Updated 28 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:

This inspection was completed by one inspector and two Experts 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.

Service and Service type:

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. The service provides live in support to people in their own homes across the United Kingdom.

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 visit because we wanted to be sure the registered manager would be available.

Inspection activity started on 10 July 2019 when we visited the office location to meet with the registered manager and review records. We visited two people in their own homes escorted by the service staff on 16 July 2019. Telephone calls were completed on 30 July 2019 to people using the service and professionals on 22 August 2019.

What we did before the inspection:

Our inspection plan considered information the provider sent us since they were last inspected in October 2016. We also considered information about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse or serious injuries.

During the inspection:

We reviewed the care records for five people, and spoke with the chairman, managing director and registered manager. We also spoke with the head of the carer support team, head of recruitment, area manager and a bookings manager plus seven members of care staff and quality manager. We spoke with 21 people using the service and 11 relatives by telephone. We also visited two people using the service in their own home to listen to their views about the service. We reviewed the recruitment records for three staff. We also reviewed the service's policies and procedures, call visit logs, records of incidents, accidents and complaints and the audit and governance records.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance records and we spoke with three professionals who regularly engaged with the service.

Updated 28 December 2019

About the service

Christies Care Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal live in care to 190 people in their own homes. 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:

The staff were outstandingly responsive to the needs of people at the service, by providing a wide range of person-centred support and activities in line with the individuals wishes. Support provided met people's needs so people could live as full a life as possible. There were strong community links and people accessed their community regularly supported by the staff.

The service continued to be outstandingly well-led. People told us they had trust in the managers and staff who frequently consulted with them and supported them to live their lives as they chose.

Continuous learning was embedded in the culture of the service and staff were caring and committed to providing individual person-centred care to each person. The cohesive management team continued to demonstrate outstanding, strong values with a desire to learn about and implement best practice throughout the service. The management team used effective systems to continually monitor the quality and safety of the service and take any necessary action as required. The senior staff continued to have a shared vision to care and support people to live as full a life as possible.

Since our last inspection the service had further developed the quality assurance department to carry out and implement the findings of audits and investigations. The statement of purpose shared a vision of providing person centred care. Management and staff worked together to share ideas for continual improvements in the service.

The service continued to provide highly effective support to people. Staff received an 11 day face to face taught induction in order that they understood the diagnosis and needs of the people they were to support in their own homes. Staff worked for arranged periods of a week and sometimes up to a month with the person in order to build up meaningful relationships and rapports.

People continued to receive outstanding support which was reviewed with each person to ensure they were assisted by staff to meet their needs. The care plans provided risk assessments and clear guidance on how people were to be supported. Peoples preferences were recorded in order that the staff knew how to support them. People were at the centre of their care and found that their care and support was planned with them and not for them. The care co-ordinators worked to get to know the skills, choices and interests of both the people using the service and staff. This enabled the care co-ordinators to match people together with common interests and hence increasing the likelihood they would be able to appreciate and enjoy each other’s company.

Without exception people praised the quality of the service they received from the Christie’s staff. People told us they felt safe and were supported by skilled staff who went above and beyond to ensure their needs had been met as they preferred. People praised the way staff actively looked for anything additional they could do to support them.

People using the service and their relatives were encouraged to engage in discussions about their care and support with the staff. The staff continued to proactively help people to make choices and decisions about their care and lifestyle and remain as independent as possible. Privacy and dignity was respected by staff with whom positive relationships had been formed and who promoted individuality.

The service continued to carry out assessments with people to determine that the staff could meet their individual needs. End of life care was provided as necessary from staff trained in this area and the service worked together with community-based health staff to maximise the potential for people to remain at home if they wished. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed. Appropriate arrangements were in place for obtaining, recording, administering and disposing of prescribed medicines.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive ways possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff continued to be exceptionally motivated to provide effective and compassionate care. Staff received a comprehensive training package and were provided with on-going support. Appropriate recruitment procedures were in place to help ensure only suitable staff were employed.

Without exception, people we spoke with praised the exceptionally kind and caring nature of the staff. People felt valued and respected by staff who promoted their dignity and wellbeing.

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

Rating at the last inspection:

The last rating for this service was outstanding. (published October 2016).

Why we inspected:

We carried out this inspection based on the previous rating of the service.

Follow up:

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