Crossroads Care (Oxford)

Updated 18 July 2019

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

Inspection was carried out by one inspector and one 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 service.

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 the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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.

During the inspection

We contacted 15 people who used the service and five relatives to get their views about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with, the registered manager, development manager, care manager, one coordinator and four care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and samples of medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, supervision and training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including complaints log and the audits were also viewed.

After the inspection

We contacted the local authority and professionals who work with the service to obtain their views about the service.

Updated 18 July 2019

About the service

Crossroads Care (Oxford) is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 102 people were supported by the service. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People continued to receive safe care. One person commented: "I couldn’t feel safer in their company actually”. Measures to manage any risks assessed were appropriately put in place. People received medicines as prescribed and staff knew how to maintain good infection control.

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. People were supported to have a balanced diet and various professionals were regularly involved in people's care to ensure they received the right care and treatment. People received effective support from staff who were suitably trained and skilled.

People told us staff were caring and kind and provided compassionate care. People complimented the staff saying: "They are all absolutely marvellous” and “I have perfect carers”. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and people were supported to remain independent. There were processes in place to maintain people’s confidentiality.

People’s care plans were personalised to reflect people's personal preferences and choices. Staff knew people’s needs well. People were supported to maintain social relationships and other activities of their choice to reduce social isolation. People knew how to complain, and complaints were investigated and responded to appropriately.

People’s views were considered to improve the service. A number of methods were used to monitor the quality of the service people received. The management team had plans around continuous improvements and improving the standards.

The provider and registered manager ensured they met the regulatory responsibilities including requirement to display the rating and to return the Provider Information Return (PIR) to the Care Quality Commission.

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 21 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.