We carried out a review of the data available to us about Spring Consult UK Ltd on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Spring Consult UK Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
Spring Consult is a domiciliary care agency. It provides nursing and personal care to children and adults living in their own homes. This service specialises in supporting children and adults with complex healthcare needs. 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. At the time of our inspection they were providing care to 31 people who lived at home.
People's experience of using this service and what we found
People and their relatives felt staff were caring and that support provided was safe. Staff knew people well and had training to understand their individual nursing and care needs. Care plans and risk assessments provided detailed information in relation to a range of people's conditions including, complex health care, nutrition and mobility needs. Medicines were managed as prescribed and in line with national guidance. Staff effectively followed infection control and prevention guidance, including those associated with COVID-19, to prevent people from catching and spreading infections. Individual to people fire safety guidance was not in place but the registered manager assured us that this will be actioned as necessary.
There was a good leadership at the service with shared responsibilities to ensure effective care provision. Quality assurance processes were in place and followed effectively making sure people's care was monitored regularly. Staff received on-going support to carry out their roles and responsibilities as necessary. The staff team worked closely with the health and social care professionals making sure people received the care that they needed.
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 09/05/2018).
Why we inspected
This was a planned focused inspection based on when we last inspected the service. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Spring Consult on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Four out of the six children and adults who were currently using Spring Consult UK Ltd received an activity regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’, which includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do so, we also take into account any wider social care provided.
The service had a registered manager in post who was also the owner. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.
This provider was newly registered with the CQC in March 2017. This comprehensive inspection is the first time this new home care agency will have been inspected and rated by us. At this home care agency’s inaugural inspection we have rated them ‘Good’ overall and for all five of our key questions we always ask, ‘Is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?’ This is because we found the service was meeting the regulations and fundamental standards.
Younger adults and the parents of children using the service told us they were happy with the standard of home care and support they received from this agency. They also said staff who provided them or their child personal care always treated them and their family with the utmost kindness. Feedback we received from community social care professional’s supported this.
Younger adults and the parents of children using the service felt the staff who provided their or their child’s personal care and support were safe. There were robust procedures in place to protect children and safeguard adults from harm and abuse. Staff were familiar with how to recognise and report abuse. The provider assessed and managed risks to children and adults safety in a way that considered their individual needs. Staff recruitment procedures were designed to prevent children or adults from being cared for by staff or were not fit to look after children or vulnerable adults. Where staff were responsible for handling medicines on behalf of children or adults they ensured they were managed safely.
People and the parents of children using the service did not have any concerns about staff turning up late or missing a scheduled visit. This indicated there were sufficient numbers of staff available to support people. Staffing levels were continuously monitored by the registered manager to ensure children and adults experienced consistency and continuity in their care and that their needs could be met at all times.
Staff received appropriate training and support to ensure they had the right knowledge and skills to effectively meet the needs of the children and adults they supported. The registered manager and staff adhered to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 code of practice. Children and adults were supported to eat sufficient amounts of well balanced and nutritional food and drink, where staff were responsible for this. Children and adults received the support they needed to stay healthy and to access the relevant community health care professional’s as and when they required it.
People and the parents of children using the service told us the staff who regularly supported them or their child always treated them and the rest of their family with dignity and respect. They ensured people’s privacy was maintained particularly when being supported with their personal care needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.
Children and adults received personalised support that was responsive to their individual needs. People and the parents of children using the service were fully involved in planning the care and support they or their child received. Each child or adult had an up to date care plan. People and the parents of children using the service felt comfortable raising any issues they might have about the standard of care they or their child received with this agency. The service had arrangements in place to deal with people’s concerns and complaints.
The provider had an open and transparent culture. They routinely gathered feedback from people and the parents of children using the service, as well as staff who worked for the agency. This feedback alongside the registered manager’s audits and quality checks was used to continually assess, monitor and improve the safety and quality of the home care service children and adults using the service received. Staff felt valued and supported by the registered manager who was approachable and listened to what they had to say.