Sincerity Health Care Ltd

Updated 19 February 2020

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 conducted by one inspector.

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 a short period notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service 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 16 January 2020 and ended on 28 January. We visited the office location on 20 January 2020.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed 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 of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, care co-ordinator and care assistants.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 19 February 2020

About the service

Sincerity Healthcare Ltd is a care agency providing personal and nursing care to 16 people at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and relatives were happy with the care and support they received and spoke positively about staff and the registered manager. People's care and support needs were met by staff who knew them well and enjoyed working with them.

Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work and there were enough staff available to meet people's needs. Staff received training to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. Staff were happy working for the service and felt supported by the registered manager and colleagues.

Care records contained extensive, clear information covering all aspects of people's individualised care and support. Risk assessments were comprehensive although sometimes care plans contained conflicting information when people's needs had changed. The registered manager assured us they would address this immediately. Information about people was written in a respectful and personalised way.

People and their relatives were involved in the planning and delivery of their care, and were asked for feedback which was acted upon when appropriate. Staff were encouraged to share their views.

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 at the service worked with health and social care professionals to ensure good outcomes for people.

There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service. When there were problems, the registered manager dealt with them appropriately and worked to reduce the likelihood of recurrence. It wasn't always clear what action had been taken in relation to complaints. The registered manager assured us they would ensure comprehensive records were kept in relation to all complaints.

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 29 July 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.