Assure Care Ltd

Updated 4 January 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 10 and 11 December 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is a small service and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure they would be in the office. The inspection visit was carried out by one inspector.

The inspection started on 10 December and ended on 11 December 2018. We visited the office location on 10 December 2018 to meet with the registered manager and to review care records, policies and procedures and made telephone calls to people receiving care and the staff on the 11 December 2018.

Due to technical problems the provider was not able to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is the information we require providers to send us as least once annually, to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements within this report.

We reviewed other information we held about the service. This included whether we had received notifications regarding important events which the provider must tell us about. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the provider is legally required to tell us about within required timescales. We contacted the commissioners of the service and Healthwatch to obtain their views about the care provided at the service.

During the inspection we spoke with three people using the service and one relative. We spoke with three members of care staff, a care coordinator and the registered manager.

We looked at care records in relation to three people using the service. We looked at four staff recruitment files and staff training records. We looked at records that showed how the provider managed and monitored the quality of service. These included spot checks, complaints, compliments, incident reporting and a sample of the providers policies and procedures.

Updated 4 January 2019

This inspection took place on the 10 and 11 December 2018 and was announced. It was the first inspection since the provider registered on 1 July 2016.

Assure Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care. It is registered to provide a service to younger adults, older people, people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, people with a physical disability, people with a sensory impairment, people with mental health needs and people living with dementia.

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. At the time of our inspection it was confirmed that 14 people using the service received 'personal care’.

A registered manager was in post. 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. The registered manager was fully aware of their legal responsibilities and was committed to providing effective leadership and support to staff.

Risk assessments were in place and were regularly reviewed. Staff were aware of specific risks relating to people’s healthcare conditions. Risk assessments were applied to indicate the risks and how they were to be managed to keep people safe.

People were supported by staff that had been safely recruited and had a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. Sufficient numbers of suitable staff were available to support people to stay safe and meet their needs.

Appropriate arrangements were in place for the management of medicines. Staff had received training and were knowledgeable about how to safely administer medicines to people. People received their medicines as prescribed.

People were protected from the risk of infection. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to infection control and hygiene and were provided with personal protective equipment (PPE), such as disposable gloves and aprons.

Staff knew how to report and record accidents and incidents and lessons were learned when things went wrong. The registered manager recorded accidents and incidents and responded to these to ensure people were safe.

People’s needs were assessed before they were supported by Assure Care Limited. People were involved in the development of care plans and risk assessments that took their preferences and wishes into account.

People were supported by staff that had access to a training programme, supervision and appraisals. Spot checks were undertaken regularly to ensure people’s needs were being met as detailed in their care plans.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet and were supported to live healthier lives and maintain good health.

People were very happy with the care and support they received. The staff and management team were inspired to offer care that was kind and compassionate and were committed to supporting people to enhance their lives and maintain their independence. People’s cultural and religious beliefs were respected and embraced.

People’s assessments and care plans considered people's values, beliefs, hobbies and interests along with their goals for the future. The management team had taken time to get to know people and involved them in planning their care. Care plans recorded people’s personal history, interests and religious beliefs.

The provider had procedures in place to respond to people's concerns. People were encouraged to raise any concerns or complaints they may have about the provider. People had not had the opportunity to discuss what it meant to be at the end of their life or make their preferences known. At the time of the inspection there was no one receiving end of life care.

The registered manager had a good oversight of the quality of the service as they were involved in all aspects of care delivery. There was a clear vision to deliver high-quality care and support. The registered manager often went the extra mile to ensure people felt valued and had good quality care. People had formed a good relationship with the registered manager and knew them by name.

People were given the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience of the service through surveys and regular contact with the registered manager. This feedback was utilised to make improvements to people’s care experience.