We carried out a review of the data available to us about Northampton Nursing and Carers Agency 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 Northampton Nursing and Carers Agency, you can give feedback on this service.
Not everyone using NNCA receives regulated activity; the Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection, 63 people were receiving personal care.
At the last inspection in July 2016, the service was rated Good. At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
People continued to receive safe care and support. People told us that they felt cared for safely in their own home. Care records contained risk assessments to protect people from identified risks and helped to keep them safe.
Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns. Staff understood their role in caring for people with limited or no capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
People had care plans that were personalised to their individual needs and wishes. Records contained detailed information to assist care workers to provide care and support in an individualised manner that respected each person's individual requirements and promoted treating people with dignity.
Staffing levels ensured that people received the support they required at the times they needed. People could be assured they would be supported by staff who knew them. The recruitment practice protected people from being cared for by staff that were unsuitable to work in their home.
People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed. They were supported to maintain good health, and had access to healthcare services when needed.
People received care from staff that were compassionate, friendly and kind. Staff had the skills and knowledge to provide the care and support people needed and were supported by two registered managers who were receptive to ideas and committed to providing a high standard of care.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Staff and people were confident that issues would be addressed and that any concerns they had would be listened to.
At the time of the inspection there was no 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. There was a manager in post who was in the process of applying to the Care Quality Commission to become the registered manager.
People had care plans that met their individual needs and wishes. Records contained information to assist care workers to provide care and support in an individualised manner that promoted people’s independence and supported their choices.
People were cared for safely in their own home. Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns. Staff understood their role in caring for people with limited or no capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Staffing levels ensured that people received the support they required safely and at the times they needed. The recruitment practice protected people from being cared for by staff that were unsuitable to work in their home.
People received care from staff that were friendly, caring and compassionate who treated them as individuals and respected their dignity. Staff had the skills and knowledge to provide the care and support people needed and who were supported by a management team that was receptive to ideas and committed to providing a high standard of care.
The provider was approachable and had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. Staff and people were confident that any concerns they had would be listened to and issues would be addressed.
Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, discussions with people using the service, their relatives, the staff supporting them and looking at records.
If you wish to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.
Is the service safe?
People were cared for by staff that had received training in infection prevention and had been provided with sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment to prevent the spread of infections. This meant that people were cared for safely. There was a senior member of the management team on call out of hours in case of emergencies. We found that people's needs had been assessed before any care or support commenced so that care plans described how any risks to people were minimised.
Is the service effective?
We spoke with three people who used the service and one relative of another person. They were all very pleased with the service. One person told us that 'I have a regular team of carers who are very caring, I am very satisfied'. Another person told us that they were in the process of transferring from their current service to NNCA as they were 'very impressed with the care and overall quality of all the staff'.
Is the service caring?
We were told by one person's representative that 'my relative has not had to have care before, but I am very impressed with the way the agency have been looking after them'. We found that the staff we spoke with knew how people liked their care and support to be provided. We spoke with people who told us that the staff were always very kind and treated them with compassion.
Is the service responsive?
We found that care plans had been updated when people's needs had changed and that referrals had been made to health and social care professionals when needed. We found that the provider had taken the appropriate action when they were concerned about people's welfare. One person told us 'I know who will be coming; the office staff are very helpful if I have to change any of my times due to hospital appointments'.
Is the service well led?
We found that there was a good system in place to monitor the quality of the service through six monthly surveys, and regular reviews of the care and support that people had received. We also found that the provider had made changes following feedback from people who used the service. People we spoke with said that they were very pleased with Northampton Nursing and Carers Agency. We found that the service was well managed.
We found that care and support had been assessed and care plans were completed with involvement from people and their families.
We saw that there was good system to allocate staff with the necessary skills to care for people.
We found that people and their families were involved in monitoring the quality of the service via questionnaires and visits. We saw that spot checks were completed which ensured the standard of work undertaken.
We found the service to be safe and well managed.
One person we spoke with said that they had used many agencies over the years and that 'this is the best to date'.
We found this service to be appropriately managed.
People said that the staff made them feel safe. They said that care workers and nurses were very professional in the way they did their job. People told us the service was reliable. They said the office staff informed them if a nurse or care worker was going to be late or if a different nurse or care worker was scheduled to provide their care.