Background to this inspection
Updated
17 January 2023
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 completed by 2 inspectors. An Expert by Experience undertook calls to people’s relatives or others involved in their care. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
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 8 November 2022 and ended on 29 November 2022. The Expert by Experience spoke with people's relatives and those acting on their behalf on 9 November 2022. We visited the location’s office on 16 November 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records and their Medication Administration Records [MAR]. We looked at 5 staff files in relation to recruitment practices, staff training, supervision and spot visits. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed as part of the service’s quality assurance arrangements. We spoke with the registered manager and the service’s care coordinator.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We continued to look at information relating to the management of the service. The Expert by Experience spoke with 7 people’s relatives and/or those acting on their behalf. We emailed 6 members of staff with a list of questions and received 2 responses.
Updated
17 January 2023
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
About the service
Weston Business Centre is a domiciliary care service providing the regulated activity of personal care to 11 people, this included both adults and children who have a learning disability, are autistic and who have complex care and support needs.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support:
The staff team supported people to have choice, control and independence. Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life.
The service worked with people to plan for when they experienced periods of distress so that their freedoms were not restricted.
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 supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted best possible health outcomes.
Right Care:
People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs.
Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it.
The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.
Staff assessed risks posed to people using the service. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks.
Right Culture:
Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families and other professionals as appropriate.
Staff ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised so that people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity.
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 14 September 2018]
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the quality of care provided for people using the service. 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.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Weston Business Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We have made a recommendation about the service’s recruitment practices.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.