We carried out a review of the data available to us about Flo's Friends on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Flo's Friends, you can give feedback on this service.
Flo’s Friends is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people who live in their own homes. At the time of inspection, the service was providing care to 30 people. 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 told us the service they received helped them to keep safe in their own homes. Staff knew how to protect people from abuse and were trained to recognise and report abuse. Risks associated with people’s care was managed. Staff were recruited safely. People were supported safely with their medicines.
Peoples needs were assessed. Staff were trained to carry out their roles and received ongoing training to meet the needs of the people they were supporting. Peoples consent to care was sought. 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 and relatives told us staff treated them with kindness and compassion. People were involved in their care and their views were respected. Staff were knowledgeable about how to maintain privacy and dignity and promote people’s independence.
People received care which was responsive to their needs. Care plans were reflective of people’s needs and were reviewed regularly. Care was delivered by staff who understood the needs of the people they were supporting. People knew how to complain and raise concerns.
The provider had developed a person-centred culture within the team. They had a clear vision and staff demonstrated they understood the values of the provider and principles of person-centred care. Staff were supported in their roles and team meetings took place regularly. The provider understood their regulatory responsibilities and had systems in place to ensure care was safe and lessons were learnt.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 20 June 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.
This was our first inspection of the service since it was registered by us on 1 December 2015.
The service was operated by an individual who was both the registered provider and the registered manager. 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. In this report when we speak about the individual who owned and managed the service we refer to them as being, ‘the registered person’.
The registered person and care staff knew how to keep people safe from situations in which they might experience abuse and people had been supported to avoid preventable accidents. Medicines were managed safely and people had been helped to obtain all of the healthcare they needed. There were enough care staff and background checks had been completed before care staff were employed.
Care staff had received all of the training and support they needed and they knew how to care for people in the right way. This included supporting people to eat and drink enough.
CQC is required by law to monitor how registered persons apply the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and to report on what we find. The registered person and care staff had received training in this subject and they helped people to make decisions for themselves. When people lacked the capacity to make their own decisions the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and codes of practice were followed. This helped to protect people’s rights by ensuring decisions were made that were in their best interests.
People were treated with kindness and compassion. Care staff recognised people’s right to privacy and promoted their dignity. Confidential information was kept private.
People had been consulted about the care they wanted and they had been given all of the assistance they needed. This included people who lived with dementia and who needed extra support. Care staff recognised the importance of promoting equality and diversity by supporting people to make choices about their lives. This included choosing which hobbies and interests they wished to pursue. There were arrangements to quickly and fairly resolve complaints.
People had been consulted about the development of the service and quality checks had been completed. Good team working was fully promoted and care staff were supported to speak out if they had any concerns about poor practice. In addition, people had benefited from care staff acting upon good practice guidance.