Caroline Cares for You Ltd

Updated 11 July 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 5 June 2018 and was announced. The inspection team consisted on one inspector. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection site visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in to support the inspection.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service, including notifications of any accidents or incidents. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the registered provider is legally obliged to send us within required timescales. The provider had sent a Provider Information Return (PIR) before the 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.

On the day of the inspection we met with the provider (who is also the registered manager), and spoke to two care staff. We also visited two people at their home to review records where the care was delivered and seek their views directly. We reviewed four care records and policies and procedures. We also looked at two staff training and supervision records. We saw a number of other documents relating to the management of the service. For example, quality audit reports and staff meeting minutes.

Following the inspection, we spoke with two people using the service and received feedback from five relatives. We also received feedback from a further three members of staff and two external professionals.

Updated 11 July 2018

This inspection took place on 5 June 2018 and was announced. This was the first inspection of Caroline Cares for You since the service was registered with the Care Quality Commission in June 2017. We rated the service as outstanding.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults. Not everyone using the service receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice because the service is a small and the registered manager is often out visiting staff or assisting with care. We therefore needed to make sure someone would be in the office to support our inspection.

At the time of our inspection, 25 people were supported with their personal care needs by the service. There was 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.

The service demonstrated the characteristics of being outstanding in providing effective care. The serviced worked closely and effectively in partnership with health professionals and therefore people were supported to live healthy lives, good access to health care services and ongoing support with their health. People were supported by highly skilled and experienced staff who had received training tailored to people’s needs and showed a desire to become knowledgeable about areas of care such as medicines and infections to help them identify any concerns immediately. Care staff were supported by a strong and robust manager. People and their relatives were involved in all decisions about how they wanted their care and support needs met. People spoke positively about the professional relationships they had with staff. Staff ensured people consented to the care they received and were aware of how to respect people's choices and rights. People were supported to have sufficient to eat and drink and were encouraged to have a balanced diet.

Everyone said staff went above and beyond what was expected from them. People and their relatives spoke extremely positively about the outstanding care they received and referred to staff and the provider as being extremely kind, caring and friendly. People were placed at the centre of their care and people told us they felt listened to and valued by staff by the staff who supported them. People told us staff always respected their privacy and dignity when providing care and where supported to develop their independence.

The leadership within the service was very strong with clear values and expectations of what they wanted to achieve. An open and a positive culture was promoted. People were supported by caring committed staff. Staff said they felt valued and were listened to by the provider. Staff were confident in their roles and were aware of their responsibilities and said they had access to support and training they needed. Professionals who worked with the service spoke highly of them.

Effective quality audit checks were in place and completed regularly to monitor the quality of the service provided. People were happy to recommend the service to family and friends based on their own experiences.

People and their relatives were extremely positive about the care provided by the service and said that they felt safe receiving care in their homes. Staff recognised the signs of potential abuse and knew the reporting system to keep people safe. People were placed at the centre of their care and their risks were assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure care remained appropriate to meet their needs. There were sufficient numbers of trained staff who had the appropriate recruitment checks to ensure they were suitable for their role. Staff arrived on time for their visits and the right numbers of staff were available to provide the support people needed. People received their medicines as prescribed by staff who had been assessed as competent to give people's medicines safely.

People were encouraged to give their feedback and views about the quality of the service they received. Communication systems used to share information about people's care and support needs were effective. Staff had an excellent understanding of what was important to people and delivered care in a way they wished to receive care. Care records were personalised, regularly reviewed and updated to ensure they were reflective of people's current needs. There was a system in place to record and investigate concerns and issues were dealt with appropriately.

People said the service was very well run. The provider was passionate about providing person centred care.