Ease Healthcare Ltd

Updated 29 August 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 31 July 2018 and 1 August 2018 and was announced. We gave the service short notice of the inspection visit because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure staff would be present in the office. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

At the time of this inspection, nine people were receiving support and nine support workers were employed. The registered manager and a field manager also undertook some care visits to people’s homes.

Prior to the inspection, we gathered information from a number of sources. We reviewed the information we held about the service, which included correspondence we had received, and notifications submitted to us by the service. A notification should be sent to CQC every time a significant incident has taken place. For example, where a person who uses the service experiences a serious injury.

We reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR), which the registered provider completed before the inspection. The PIR is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We contacted Sheffield local authority to obtain their views of the service. All the comments and feedback received were reviewed and used to assist and inform our inspection.

On 31 July 2018, we visited three people who received support at their homes to ask their opinions of the service and to check their care files. We telephoned a further two people and a relative of a person receiving support to obtain their views.

On 1 August 2018, we visited the service’s office to see and speak with the registered manager and four staff employed by the agency.

We reviewed a range of records, which included care records for three people, three staff training, support and employment records and other records relating to the management of the domiciliary care agency.

Updated 29 August 2018

Ease Healthcare Limited is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care. The agency provides support with personal care, domestic tasks and companionship. The agency office is based in Barnsley. Support is currently provided to people living in their own homes in North West Sheffield. At the time of this inspection nine people were receiving support and eleven staff were employed.

There was a manager at the service who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Ease Healthcare was registered with CQC in June 2017. The registered manager told us the service started supporting people in April 2018.This was the service’s first inspection.

People spoke very positively about the support provided to them. They told us they felt safe and their support workers were respectful and kind. People told us they received a consistent and reliable service that met their needs.

We found there were systems in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff we spoke with were able to explain the procedures to follow should an allegation of abuse be made.

Assessments identified risks to people, and management plans to reduce the risks were in place to ensure people's safety.

There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The registered provider’s policies and systems supported this practice. People had consented to receiving care and support from Ease Healthcare.

Visit times were flexible to support people’s needs and people said support was provided from staff they knew.

People were supported to maintain a healthy diet, which took into account their culture, needs and preferences, so their health was promoted and choices could be respected.

Staff knew the people they supported well. People’s privacy and dignity was respected and promoted. Staff understood how to support people in a sensitive way.

People said they could speak with their support workers or the registered manager if they had any worries or concerns and they would be listened to.