Cardea Healthcare - Uxbridge

Updated 12 December 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 visit was conducted by 1 inspector. A second inspector and an Expert by Experience supported the inspection by making phone calls to people who used the service, their relatives and staff. 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 a short period of notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 24 November 2023 and ended on 28 November 2023. We visited the location’s office on 28 November 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at all the information we held about the location, including notifications of significant events.

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.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 people who used the service, the relatives of 12 other people and 12 staff on the telephone. We met the registered manager and other office staff when we visited the agency's office.

We looked at the care records for 5 people who used the service, records of staff recruitment, training and support and other records used by the provider for managing the service. These included audits, meeting minutes, records relating to medicines management and records of adverse events.

Updated 12 December 2023

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance the Care Quality Commission (CQC) follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Cardea Healthcare – Uxbridge is a care agency providing personal care and support to people living in Berkshire. They provide a service to children as well as older and younger adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health needs and dementia. 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. At the time of our inspection, 43 people were receiving personal care and support.

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

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support: The service supported people to have the maximum possible choice and to make decisions about their lives. People were supported to learn new skills and be independent. Staff focussed on people’s strengths and helped people to have fulfilling and active lives. People were supported to pursue a range of different social activities when this was part of their care. Staff did not restrain people and worked with other professionals to help plan effective care which reduced the likelihood of harm and incidents. Staff understood people’s individual communication needs and provided them with the support they needed to make choices. People received support to take their medicines safely and as prescribed. Staff supported people to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing.

Right Care: People were treated well. Their individual and diverse needs were met. Staff understood how to provide care which met these needs. Staff treated people with kindness and respect. People’s privacy and dignity were maintained. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. There were enough suitably skilled staff to meet people’s needs and to care for them safely. People who had individual ways of communicating could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their care because staff had the necessary skills to understand them. People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs, and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.

Right culture: There was an inclusive and positive culture where people received personalised care. People were asked for their opinions, and these were listened to and acted on. People received good quality care and support. There was low staff turnover which supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well. People and those important to them, including advocates, were involved in planning their care. Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families, and other professionals as appropriate.

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.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 18 December 2018).

Why we inspected

We had not inspected this service for over 5 years, and we needed to check that they were still providing good quality and safe care.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.