Background to this inspection
Updated
5 November 2019
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector, an assistant inspector and an expert by experience. 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.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we wanted to ensure there were people we could speak to 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 13 August 2019 and ended on 16 August 2019. We visited the office location on 13 August and made calls to people who used the service and staff on 13, 14 and 16 August.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 14 people who used the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, operational manager, administrator, five care staff and one senior care staff.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, quality assurance records and information around the development of the service. We spoke with one professional who regularly liaised with the service.
Updated
5 November 2019
About the service
Kingfisher Care (Midlands) Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes in the community.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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 inspection 49 people were being supported with personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People benefitted from an outstanding well-led service, which placed people at the heart of everything they did. The registered manager and operational manager led by example and ensured staff shared their ethos of providing good quality care.
People told us how good the service was and how much their lives had improved since Kingfisher Care had come into their lives. One comment we read was, ‘Thank you for your excellent care and attention.’
Kingfisher Care (Midlands) Limited strived continuously to improve people’s care and life experience liaising with health professionals and other organisations in the area. Proactively responding to people’s physical and mental health well-being.
There were effective systems in place to manage the quality of the service and drive improvements. People’s feedback was sought and acted upon and staff were valued and proud they worked for the company.
People were cared for safely and could be assured that staff had been checked for their suitability to work with them. People’s medicines were administered safely, and people could rely on them being given at the times they needed them.
People were treated as individuals and were valued and respected. Staff ensured people’s privacy and dignity was protected and spent time getting to know people. People described staff as caring with a good attitude. One person said, “Staff are cheerful and smiley and never rush me.”
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 were well motivated and managed. People could be assured they were cared for by staff who had the training, skills and knowledge to provide effective and safe care.
People and staff were confident if they had a complaint they would be listened to and action taken to address the issue. The registered manager was open and honest and welcomed ideas to develop and improve the service.
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 28 March 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.