Norwyn Community Services

Updated 25 November 2020

The inspection

As part of a pilot into virtual inspections of domiciliary and extra-care housing services, the Care Quality Commission conducted an inspection of this provider on 27 October 2020. The inspection was carried out with the consent of the provider and was part of a pilot to gather information to inform CQC whether it might be possible to conduct inspections in a different way in the future. We completed this inspection using virtual methods and online tools such as electronic file sharing, video calls and phone calls to gather the information we rely on to form a judgement on the care and support provided. At no time did we visit the provider’s or location’s office as we usually would when conducting an inspection.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector, one medicines inspector and an 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. The registered manager was also the provider. This means that they 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 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available to support the inspection and to arrange for information to be sent to us.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and 10 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, senior care workers and care workers. We sought and received feedback from health and social care professionals about their experiences of the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medicine records. We looked at two staff files 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 the evidence found in relation to medicines management.

Updated 25 November 2020

This report was created as part of a pilot which looked at new and innovative ways of fulfilling CQC’s regulatory obligations and responding to risk in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was conducted with the consent of the provider. Unless the report says otherwise, we obtained the information in it without visiting the Provider.

About the service

Norwyn Community Services is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing short term support to 17 people to enable them to leave hospital as soon as they were ready to be discharged. This support was part of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

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

Feedback from people and their relatives about the service was positive. Comments included, “They were so supportive and encouraging. I never felt rushed.”, “Such nice cheerful people. They lifted our spirits” and, “Staff were very kind, no complaints at all.”

Staff knew how keep people safe from abuse. Staff reported accidents and incidents to ensure they were investigated and action was taken as needed. There were care plans and risk assessments in place and staff had a good understanding of the risks to people. Infection prevention and control measures were in place to prevent infections or the risk of COVID-19 spreading through the service. People received their medicines as prescribed.

There were enough suitably trained and recruited staff to support people safely. Staff were not rushed and had time to spend talking to people.

Staff sought people’s consent before they provided them with care. 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.

Staff were kind and caring. Care was person centred and people told us they were involved in planning their own care. People’s equality needs such as religious or cultural needs were met where this support was needed. Where people were at the end of their life the service worked in partnership with the hospice to ensure people’s needs were met and their wishes were respected.

Staff were positive about the service and said they felt well supported and communication was good. Staff were supervised appropriately. Checks of the service quality were undertaken and issues were acted upon where identified. The registered manager understood their legal responsibility to report significant events to CQC. There were systems in place to enable people to feedback about the quality of their care, which all had said was positive.

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 6 June 2018).

Why we inspected

This was a planned pilot virtual inspection. The report was created as part of a pilot which looked at new and innovative ways of fulfilling CQC’s regulatory obligations and responding to risk in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was conducted with the consent of the provider. Unless the report says otherwise, we obtained the information in it without visiting the Provider.

The pilot inspection considered the key questions of safe and well-led and provide a rating for those key questions. Only parts of the effective, caring and responsive key questions were considered, and therefore the ratings for these key questions are those awarded at the last inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Norwyn Community Services on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.