Archived: Inter-County Nursing & Care Services Chichester

This targeted inspection was prompted due to concerns received about infection prevention and control measures that are required during the Coronavirus pandemic.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to Coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the Safe section of this report.

We found infection prevention and control was managed safely and we were assured that measures to reduce the spread of infection were in place.

People told us they were pleased with the service and commented positively about the steps that the provider had taken to ensure that care staff had the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) and they used this at every visit.

Staff were trained and knowledgeable about infection control and the measures they needed to take to reduce the risk of transmission of the Coronavirus. Staff told us that they felt supported by the registered manager and the provider

The service had policies, procedures and contingency plans in place.

Why we inspected

CQC have introduced targeted inspections to check specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.

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

The last rating for this service was Good (published 12 November 2018).

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Inter-County Nursing & Care Services Chichester on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Inter-County Nursing & on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Inter-County Nursing and Care Services Limited, Chichester is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of the inspection the service was providing care to 29 people who lived in, or around Chichester. This service provided both planned visits to people’s home and a live-in service.

At our last inspection we rated the service as good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating had not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service provided safe care. Staff considered how to maintain people’s safety and followed safeguarding procedures. There were sufficient staff available for the care visits and they had appropriate pre-employment checks, before starting work. The service provided continuity of care. Staff received relevant information, before visiting people for the first time. People’s medicines were managed appropriately and there was a good standard of infection control.

Staff received sufficient training, to maintain high standards of care. If the service was due to support new people, with specific care needs, additional training was sourced. New staff received training and were assessed, before visiting people on their own. Staff received regular supervision and told us that they felt supported by the management team.

People received a good standard of care. People were assessed before care visits started and were involved in planning their care. Assessments included a full review of the individual’s needs and were person-centred. Each person had appropriate risk assessments and care plans were detailed and specific. People’s communication needs were identified and there were systems in place to provide information in an accessible format, when needed. Ways of maintaining people’s independence and encouraging social activities, were documented, within the care plans. People were supported with their eating and drinking. The service liaised with health care professionals, for example GPs, as necessary. The service provided end of life care and consideration was given to the needs of relatives and staff at this challenging time.

There was a registered manager in post, who was supported by the provider. The service continuously monitored the standard of care provided, with a variety of audits and quality assurance systems. There were systems in place to ensure lessons were learnt if things did go wrong. The service actively sought feedback, from both people and staff, with the aim of continually improving the standards of care provided. They worked closely with outside organisations and reviewed and updated their policies and procedures regularly. They had a complaints procedure in place and people told us they felt complaints were dealt with in a quick and appropriate manner.

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. We received positive comments from people and their relatives about the kind and compassionate care they received. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained and consideration was given to ensuring information was kept confidential and secure. People told us they were supported by staff and that the service responded to their changing needs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

People and their relatives were all complimentary about the service that they received from the agency.

One person told us, "I have nothing to grumble about, my carers are kind, and helpful. I get everything that I need from them". A relative told us,"Inter-County are the best of any providers that I have used, and I have used plenty. They stand head and shoulders above any other agency". They went on to say, "The wrap around care that they provide 24 hours a day seven days a week is excellent, my mother is very content with her care".

We found that people had planned care that met their needs. We also found that people's consent had been obtained prior to treatment where appropriate.

We found that the service had followed safe recruitment processes. We saw that staff had been trained appropriately and took infection control seriously.

We found that the service had sytems in place to monitor the quality of the service that they were providing.

Everyone said that they had been given a copy of their care plan, and that they had regular contact with the manager to review their care.

Everyone who we spoke with said that care workers arrived on time for visits and that their care workers stayed for the agreed length of their visit time. Most of the people we spoke with told us that they received the same staff on a regular basis and that this had helped them to build up a relationship of trust with their care workers.

One person said, "The quality of care is all you could wish for".

Another person said that the agency was, "Simply first class".