Updated 12 January 2024
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.
As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one 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. The expert by experience did not attend the office. They spoke with 1 person and 5 people’s family members by telephone.
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
We gave the service 2 days’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider who is also the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. 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 reviewed information we received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about. We contacted the integrated care board (ICB) who commission services from the provider. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We inspected the service on the 24 November 2023. We looked at 2 people’s care records to check that the care they received matched the information in their records. We spoke with the registered manager and 6 care staff and reviewed 4 staff files to see how staff were recruited and supported. We reviewed a range of medication administration records and records relating to the management of the service. We looked at the systems the provider had in place to ensure the quality of the service was continuously monitored and reviewed to drive improvement.
We spoke with 1 person and 5 people’s family members and 8 members of staff including the registered manager and administrator.