Background to this inspection
Updated
8 June 2016
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.
The inspection took place on the 20, 26 and 27 April 2016 and was announced. The provider was given notice because the service provides a domiciliary care service and we wanted to be sure that someone would be in the office to speak with us.
The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and an expert by experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of supporting someone who uses this type of care service
Before the inspection we checked the information that we held about the service and the service provider. We looked at safeguarding concerns reported to us. This is where one or more person’s health, wellbeing or human rights may not have been properly protected and they may have suffered harm, abuse or neglect. We also looked at statutory notifications sent to us by the service about incidents and events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We used all this information to decide which areas to focus on during our inspection.
During our inspection we visited five people who were in receipt of care and spoke with them and some of their relatives. We spoke to a further 20 people who used the service and four relatives by telephone. We also spoke with seven care staff and three team leaders about the support they provided. We spoke with the manager, the area manager and a number of office staff, including the training manager. We observed staff working in the office dealing with issues and speaking with people who used the service over the telephone.
We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the service was managed. These included the care records, medicine administration record (MAR) sheets, staff training records, support and employment records, quality assurance audits and records relating to the management of the service.
Updated
8 June 2016
The inspection took place on 20, 26 and 27 April 2016 and was announced. Colchester Community Domiciliary Care Agency is a care agency providing personal care and support to individuals residing in Colchester, Clacton and Ipswich areas. The Ipswich service is primarily a service to individuals with a diagnosis of dementia or those who require palliative care. In total the agency provides support to approximately 180 people and employs 90 staff.
At the time of the inspection there was no registered manager in post but a manager from a nearby service managed by the same provider was providing management cover. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.
People told us that they were well supported by the agency and there were systems in place to identify and respond to allegations of abuse. Risks to individuals were identified and managed although some of the risk management plans would benefit from more detail.
People told us that they liked having the same team of carers who knew them and gave them the time that they needed. People spoke positively about the office staff. There were clear arrangements for out of hours support to ensure that emergencies were dealt with promptly and people kept safe. Staff were checked as part of their recruitment to ensure that they were suitable. They were trained and supervised by more experienced colleagues before working independently. Supervisions and spot checks were undertaken to ensure that they were putting their training into practice.
People were supported to maintain a balanced diet and to access healthcare services. They told us that they were supported by friendly, caring staff who promoted their independence. There were systems in place to ascertain people’s views about their care and people told us they felt listened to.
Care plans were in place and while they would benefit from further detail, staff knew individuals, their preferences and how they wished to be supported. Complaints were taken seriously and investigated.
The manager was aware of their responsibilities and was supported by a management team. There were a range of systems in place to check on the quality of the care and to drive improvement.