Archived: Candid Care Service (Branch Agency)

Updated 7 May 2015

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.

This inspection took place on 20 March 2015 and was unannounced. It was undertaken by a single inspector and an expert by experience made calls to people who used the service.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service and the provider. This included details of statutory notifications, safeguarding concerns, previous inspection reports and the registration details of the service. We also contacted the local authority and the local Healthwatch in order to get their perspective of the quality of care provided.

We spoke with 12 people who used the service over the telephone, the registered manager, administrator, team leader (senior staff who supervised staff and carried out monitoring visits) and four care staff. We also received feedback from six relatives over the telephone. We looked at six people’s care records, six staff files and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 7 May 2015

This inspection took place on 20 March 2015 and was unannounced. At our previous inspection of this service on 12 February 2014 we found they were not meeting the legal requirement relating to supporting staff. At this inspection they had met the legal requirement relating to supporting staff through appraisals and supervision.

Candid Care provides personal care for over 40 older adults in the London borough of Havering.

The service had a 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.

Risks to people and the environment were assessed and reviewed as and when people’s condition changed. Staff were aware of the accident and incident reporting procedures. Incidents were reviewed to identify patterns and provide the right support to people.

People were supported to understand how to stay safe. Staff told us that they always left the alarm pendants within reach of people so they could call for help when needed. Staff demonstrated that they understood how to recognise abuse and how to help protect people from the risk of abuse. Safeguarding procedures had been followed to keep people safe as evidenced by the notifications we received and the outcomes after investigation by the local authority.

Recruitment procedures were effective ensuring only staff who were suitable worked with people who used the service. Staff were supported through induction, supervision and training.

Medicines were handled and administered appropriately by staff who had been trained and assessed as competent to administer medicines.

Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and could describe instances were decisions were made in people’s best interests.

People told us staff were kind and treated them with dignity and respect. Care plans reflected people’s preferences on how they wanted their care to be delivered.

The registered manager and staff understood their roles well. The quality of care delivered was monitored monthly and any issues raised were dealt with immediately. People were aware of how to make a complaint and told us that the complaints process was within the care record.