We carried out a review of the data available to us about Cherry Care Services Oxfordshire Ltd 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 Cherry Care Services Oxfordshire Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
Cherry Care Services Oxfordshire Ltd, referred to as Cherry Care in this report, is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The service operates in Witney and surrounding areas. Cherry Care provides personal care to younger adults and older people including people living with life limiting conditions. On the day of the inspection 23 people received regulated activity. More people were supported with non-regulated support, such as companionship or housekeeping.
People’s experience of using this service:
People received support that met their needs. People’s care plans described care people required in details and staff knew people’s needs well. Staff encouraged people to maintain social relationships. People knew how to make a complaint and the concerns received by the service were dealt with appropriately. People’s end of life wishes were known to staff and people were confident these would be respected. Cherry Care staff worked with other professionals, such as the local hospice to ensure people they supported had dignified and pain free death.
People told us staff were ‘brilliant’. The service remained caring and people received compassionate support. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and people were supported to remain independent. The provider ensured people’s confidentiality was maintained.
People continued to receive support with accessing health care services. External professionals were complimentary about the service. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff respected their rights to make their own decisions. People were encouraged to meet their nutritional needs.
The service continued to provide safe support to people. The provider ensured people were supported by a sufficiently skilled and safely recruited staff. Risks to people's well-being that included their individual conditions and environment had been assessed and recorded. Medicines were managed in line with good practice and people received their medicines as prescribed.
The service remained well-led by the registered manager who was also the director. People praised the ‘personal touch’ provided by the management team and complimented the continuity of care they had. The team demonstrated an open and transparent approach. People’s views were sought and acted on. Staff were well supported and valued. The provider monitored the quality of service and planned how to implement further developments. Cherry Care worked well with external social and care professionals.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
Good (report published 1 March 2017).
Why we inspected:
This was our scheduled, planned inspection based on previous rating.
Follow up:
We will monitor all intelligence received about the service to inform the assessment of the risk profile of the service and to ensure the next planned inspection is scheduled accordingly.
More information is in detailed findings below.
There was a registered manager in post at the service. 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.
Staff understood how to protect people from potential abuse and they were aware of the whistle blowing policy. The risks to people's well-being and safety were assessed and managed appropriately. Where required, management plans were in place to manage and mitigate the risks. People received their medicines as prescribed.
The provider had implemented satisfactory systems to recruit and train care workers and ensured that relevant checks and references were carried out. Staff were well supported and skilled to carry out their roles effectively. The provider ensured staff attended additional training to care for people that were affected by a specific health condition such as compromised swallowing or diabetes. The number of staff employed by Cherry Care Services was sufficient to meet the needs of the people they supported.
Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and applied its principles in their work. The MCA protects the rights of people who may not be able to make particular decisions themselves. The registered manager ensured the rights of people in relation to making their own decisions were respected. People were supported to access healthcare when needed and we received excellent feedback from external professionals involved with people who were supported by Cherry Care. People were supported to meet their nutritional needs if required.
Staff knew people well and understood their individual needs. Staff ensured they supported people in a way that met their needs. People benefitted from staff that were enthusiastic about their roles and committed to their job. People were supported by staff that respected their privacy and dignity and promoted their independence. People were involved in making decisions about the support their received. People’s care plans were detailed and regularly reviewed.
People knew how to raise concerns and complaints and told us the registered manager ensured any concerns were dealt with promptly before escalating to a complaint. People and staff said the registered manager was approachable and supportive. The registered manager and the team promoted an open, positive and transparent culture. The provider had systems in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service.