Background to this inspection
Updated
11 June 2022
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
Registered Manager
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced. 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 16 May 2022 and ended on 23 May 2022. We visited the location’s office on 17 May 2022.
What we did before the inspection
The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with two people who used the service and one family member about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and two care staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and one person’s medication record. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service and quality monitoring
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider, which included staff training and assessment of their competency, policies and procedures and minutes of staff meetings.
Updated
11 June 2022
About the service
Bright Almond Card Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people in their own homes. 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. At the time of our inspection there were four people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Systems and processes were in place to support people’s safety. People’s needs, including their safety were assessed and monitored. Staff recruitment practices needed to be improved. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and people and family members spoke of the reliability of the service. People received the support they required with their medicines. Staff worked consistent with the providers policy and procedure for infection prevention and control and followed government guidance related to COVID-19.
People’s needs were assessed and kept under review and reflected all aspects of people’s care. People, and family members contributed to the assessment process. People’s health care needs were documented. Staff had the required experience, knowledge and training to meet people’s needs.
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.
Staff spoke of the support they received from the registered manager, which included formal meetings, and spot checks to ensure they were working consistent with people’s care plans and applied the knowledge they had gained through training.
People spoke of the kind and caring approach of staff, and the supportive relationships that had developed through having a small team of staff caring for them. People told us they were involved in decisions about their care, and that their views were respected by staff. People were involved in the development and reviewing of their care and support.
People spoke positively of the service and told us they would recommend it to others. People had regular contact with the registered manager, which included meetings to seek their views about the quality of care. The registered manager had planned improvements, which included moving from paper-based records to an electronic monitoring and record system.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The service was previously inspected (published on 16 August 2017). A quality rating was not awarded as the service supported one person for a short period of time, which meant there was insufficient evidence to make a judgement as to the quality of care at that time.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.