K4 Care Bedford Limited

Updated 21 September 2018

This inspection took place on 30 July 2018 and was announced. We provided 48 hours' notice of the inspection because the service provides support to people in the community and we needed to ensure that the registered manager and staff were available to provide the information we needed to carry out this inspection. The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Inspection site visit activity started on 30 July 2018 and ended on 23 August 2018. It included visiting the office and talking to people over the phone and relatives to ask for their feedback about the service. We visited the office location on 30 July 2018 to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.

Before the inspection we reviewed information, we held about the service including statutory notifications. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We also reviewed the provider information return (PIR) submitted to us. This is information that the provider is required to send to us, which gives us some key information about the service and tells us what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make

In the office we spoke with five staff members, the registered manager, the provider and the care coordinator. Following the inspection, we spoke with four people who used the service and one relative. We also received a copy of the recent contract monitoring visit carried out by the local authority. We looked at three people`s care records, three staff recruitment files and training records. We also looked at further records relating to the management of the service, including quality audits, feedback from people and their relatives to assess the provider’s quality monitoring systems.

Updated 21 September 2018

This inspection took place between 30 July 2018 and 23 August 2018 was announced. This was the first inspection since K4 Care Bedford Limited registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 21 June 2016.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults, people living with dementia or physical disabilities, people with mental health needs and sensory impairment. At the time of the inspection there were 42 people using the service.

Not everyone using K4 Care Bedford Limited receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. There were 27 people receiving the regulated activity at the time of the inspection.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

People felt safe, happy and supported by staff from K4 Care Bedford Limited. Staff had received training in how to safeguard people from abuse and knew how to report concerns, both internally and externally.

Safe and effective recruitment practices were followed to help ensure that all staff were suitably qualified and experienced. Arrangements were in place to ensure there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s individual needs.

There were plans in place to help staff understand and meet people`s needs at all times. Staff were trained and their competencies were assessed in the areas where people required support. This included personal care, moving and handling, medicine administration and other topics relevant to staff`s roles. Staff had regular supervisions to ensure that their development and performance was reviewed and support was in place for them to understand their roles and responsibilities.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. Staff obtained people’s consent before providing personal care and support, which they did in a kind and compassionate way.

People told us that staff were kind and caring when delivering care and support and they developed positive relationships based on trust and mutual respect. People and where appropriate their relatives were involved in the planning, delivery and reviews of the care and support provided. The confidentiality of information held about their medical and personal histories was securely maintained.

People told us that staff provided care in a way that promoted their dignity and respected their privacy. People received personalised care and support that met their needs and took account of their preferences.

People, relatives and staff were complimentary about the registered manager and how K4 Care Bedford Limited was run and operated. The provide had quality assurance systems in place and these were used affectively to assess and improve the quality of the care people received.

Further information is detailed below.