Background to this inspection
Updated
15 May 2021
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 completed by one inspector.
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 had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission they were also the provider. This means that the provider is 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 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 10 March 2021 and ended on 19 April 2021. We visited the office location on 10 March 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and the office manager. We also spoke with four members of staff on the telephone to minimise our time on site.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We reviewed the call data for the service and other management information that the provider sent us.
Updated
15 May 2021
About the service
Lincolnshire Home Care Limited is a care agency providing personal around 100 people at the time of the inspection. It provides support to people living around Spalding, Holbeach and Sutton Bridge.
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 using the service and their relatives were happy with the standard of care provided. They told us they received support from a small group of staff who knew their needs. Staff arrived at the planned time and had the time to support people with their care needs. The provider had recruitment checks in place to ensure staff were safe to work with people who used the service.
Staff had received training in how to provide safe care. Their ability to administer medicines safely was assessed and people were confident in the staff’s ability to use equipment safely. Staff understood their responsibility to keep people safe from harm and knew the process to raise concerns both with the provider and with external agencies.
The provider had supported staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and staff wore appropriate PPE when supporting people. However, office staff were not wearing PPE in line with guidance and systems were not in place to monitor staff’s adherence to COVID-19 testing.
We have recommended that the provider follow all infection control guidance and best practice.
The provider was continually developing the service provided. Some audits were in place and the provider had identified where more needed to be completed to monitor the service effectively.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 19 March 2020). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to complaints received about care being withdrawn from people without notice placing them at harm. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe section of this full report.
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.