Updated 4 May 2023
The inspection
We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.
Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.
Inspection team
This inspection was undertaken by 1 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.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ 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 04 April 2023 and ended on 19 April 2023. We had a video call with the registered manager on 19 April 2023 to provide feedback about inspection findings.
What we did before the 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 (PIR). 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We received written feedback from 3 people and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We received feedback from 12 members of staff including the registered manager and nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people’s care plans and associated records. We looked at multiple records relating to staff training, supervision, and those relating to observations and monitoring staff practice. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, surveys and quality assurance records were also reviewed.
The registered manager shared findings of an independent feedback survey undertaken in January 2023 and recent feedback from local authority monitoring officers.
This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as video calls and email to enable us to engage with people using the service, relatives and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.