Background to this inspection
Updated
26 May 2023
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector and 1 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.
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 3 May 2023 and ended on 12 May 2023. We visited the location’s office on 3 May 2023.
What we did before the inspection
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 information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 23 February 2023 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke to 5 people and 4 relatives on the telephone. We spoke to 8 members of staff including the registered manager and care staff. We reviewed 5 peoples care records as well as records relating to medication and risk assessments. We reviewed 3 staff recruitment records and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, policies and procedures and complaints.
Updated
26 May 2023
About the service
Promedica24 (Lancashire) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes by means of live-in carers. This means the care workers live with the person for a set period of time. The service provides support to older people and those living with dementia or a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were 152 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service ensured people received safe care and support, and people were protected from harm. Safeguarding referrals were made where required and there were robust recruitment checks in place to ensure people were protected from risk. People felt they were safe and were supported by staff who they described as “Caring,” “Respectful” and, “Competent.”
Risks to people and the home environment were assessed in detail and where required, risks regarding people’s individual health needs were monitored closely. The registered manager and staff understood the importance of infection prevention and control which was embedded in the service.
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 received their medicines as prescribed, and staff supported people with their medicines safely. Records relating to medicines management were completed in full and robust checks were in place to ensure medicines were managed effectively. The registered manager understood the importance of a lessons learned process when things went wrong, and we saw evidence of the service improving in response to accidents and incidents.
The registered manager had instilled a positive and open culture, where staff and people felt engaged in the running of the service. Staff felt valued and listened to and people’s feedback was sought regularly so they could make suggestions on improvements to the service they received. People praised the staff approach and the responsiveness and openness of the management team, which was described as “Transparent” and, “Organised.”
The registered manager was committed to continuous learning and development. There were detailed plans in place to improve people’s experience of the service and the quality of care being delivered. We saw evidence of effective partnership working to ensure people’s changing care needs were met.
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 22 February 2018).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.