We carried out a review of the data available to us about Medow Care Services Limited 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 Medow Care Services Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Medow Care Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support for people living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection 29 people were receiving support. 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 were safe and protected from avoidable harm because staff knew how to identify and report any concerns relating to the risk of abuse. They were familiar with how to report concerns to agencies outside of the organisation. Risks to people’s health, safety and well-being were assessed, and measures put in place to remove or reduce the risks. People were supported by staff who had been safely recruited through a robust process.
People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff had received appropriate training and had their competency assessed to help ensure they were sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable in this area. Staff had received training in infection control practices and personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons was provided for them. The management team took appropriate actions following any incidents and learning was shared with the staff team.
Before care delivery started assessments were undertaken to make sure people’s needs could be met by Medow Care Services Limited. Care plans were developed from these assessments for each person’s identified needs and staff had clear guidance on how to meet those needs. Staff received training and support to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. People told us staff prepared simple meals for them as needed and encouraged them to take fluids to maintain their health and wellbeing. Staff were proactive in identifying if people were unwell and contacted appropriate healthcare professionals as needed.
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 and their relatives praised the kind and caring nature of staff. People received consistent care from a small team of staff. People knew about their care plans and could decide what care and support they needed. People’s records were held securely in a locked cabinet within a locked office to help promote confidentiality. People received care and support as they wished. People told us they would be confident to raise any concerns with the management team.
The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the Duty of Candour and was committed to providing a high standard of care for people as well as support for the staff team. People, their relatives and staff members spoke highly of the registered manager and told us that they were always available and supportive. People told us that they were regularly asked for their views about the quality of the service.
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 March 2017).
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.
Medow Care Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 45 people using the service.
There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People using the service were kept safe from risk of harm and staff understood the ways in which they could be safeguarded from abuse.
Risk assessments were detailed enough to minimise any risk to each person and to account for risks of working in people’s homes.
Care plans contained sufficient information to ensure that people’s needs were being met where necessary, including their dietary and healthcare needs.
Satisfaction surveys were sent out to ensure that people were happy with the care they received, and improvements were made on the basis of people’s feedback.
Staff received the correct training to undertake their duties effectively, and received supervisions and performance reviews to support their continued development.
Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and were knowledgeable about the ways in which people gave consent and how the Mental Capacity Act was applied in practice.
Staff demonstrated a caring attitude and understood how to treat people with dignity and respect.
Staff meetings were held regularly and provided an opportunity for the team to meet and discuss issues affecting the service.
New staff received a full induction into the service, and robust recruitment procedures were in place to ensure they had the skills and experience necessary for the role.
Where people required support with administration of their medicines, the service kept appropriate records and information on their file.
Quality audits were completed regularly to ensure that the service was identifying any areas for improvement and taking appropriate action to resolve them.
People and staff were positive about the registered manager and management team within the service and shared their visions and values.
People knew who to complain to if necessary, and the manager had an effective system in place for handling and resolving complaints.
We carried out this announced inspection by visiting the office on 4 September 2015. Between this date and 10 September 2015, we spoke with people who used the service or their relatives and staff by phone.
The service provides personal care and support to adults in their own homes. People supported by the service were living with a variety of needs including older people with health conditions, physical disabilities and dementia. At the time of the inspection, there were 48 people who used the service.
The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
There were systems in place to safeguard people from the possible risk of harm. There were risk assessments in place which provided guidance to staff on how risks to people should be managed and minimised.
The provider had effective recruitment processes in place to ensure that staff employed to work for the service were suitable for their roles. There were sufficient numbers of staff to support people safely.
Staff were skilled and knowledgeable in how to support people in accordance with their agreed care plans. Staff received regular supervision and support, and had been trained to meet people’s individual needs.
Staff were aware of their responsibilities and understood their roles to seek people’s consent prior to care being provided. People received care and support from a team of caring and respectful staff.
People’s needs had been assessed, and care plans included their individual needs, preferences, and choices. The provider had a formal process for handling complaints and concerns.
There were effective quality monitoring processes in place. Regular checks and audits had been carried out and people’s views had been sought regarding the quality of the service.
We found that the provider was meeting the standards we had inspected. People and their relatives had been consented to their care and support they needed. People's received care and support in line with their agreed care plans. There was a recruitment procedure in place and all the required checks had been carried before an offer of employment had been made. There was a quality assurance system to assess and manage the quality of service. Records and confidential files had been kept safely and securely in the office.
We found that people's privacy and dignity had been respected and they and their relatives had been involved in the decisions about their care package. The care plans we reviewed provided up to date information about the needs of each person, and showed how the staff had been supporting people in meeting their needs.
There were systems in place to ensure that any allegations of abuse would be reported to the appropriate authorities. This ensured that people were protected from the risk of abuse.
Staff had been supported and provided with the relevant training so that they were competent in their role and were able to meet people's needs appropriately.
There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service. Questionnaire surveys had been carried out in seeking the views of people and their relatives and the feedback from these questionnaires was positive.