GEP Support Limited

Updated 3 April 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 carried out 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 (CQC). 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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 12 March 2020 and ended on 13 March 2020. We visited the office location on 12 March 2020 and telephoned people, relatives and staff on 13 March 2020.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. 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. We also requested feedback from Healthwatch Rochdale. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the one person who used the service and their relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with two members of staff including the registered manager and a support worker.

We reviewed a range of records. This included one person’s care records and risk assessments. We looked at one staff file in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 3 April 2020

GEP Support Limited is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to one person at the time of the inspection.

The address for this service has changed to 2 Oakdene Road, Middleton, Manchester, M24 2FQ. We inspected this service at the new address. The registered manager was in the process of changing the registration details of the service with Care Quality Commission.

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

People were protected from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm by staff who understood how to recognise and respond to concerns. People were satisfied with the support they received and felt safe. Risks were well managed. Medicines were managed safely, and staff worked with other healthcare professionals to meet people's needs.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People's needs were assessed. Care and support had been planned proactively and in partnership with them.

People were positive about the service. People told us staff were kind and caring. People were treated with dignity and respect and were involved in their care planning and delivery. People's right to privacy was upheld. The registered manager could provide people with information about local advocacy services, to ensure they could access support to express their views.

People received person-centred care which was responsive to their needs. People’s communication needs had been assessed. People knew how to complain, and felt concerns raised would be listened to and acted upon.

The management team worked in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure people received coordinated care which met their needs. People were happy with how the service was managed. Staff felt well supported by the management team. The registered manager and provider completed regular audits and checks, which ensured appropriate levels of quality and safety were maintained at the home.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 08/12/2016 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

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.