Chelmscare Ltd

Updated 2 August 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in their own homes in the community. At the time of the inspection 40 people were being supported with a regulated activity of personal care.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. As this is a small service we gave he registered manager 48 hours’ notice of our intended inspection. This was so that the senior staff would be available to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 11 July 2019 and ended on 15 July 2019. We visited the office location on 11, 12 and 15 July 2019 and contacted people, relatives and staff to obtain their feedback during those dates.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We sought feedback from the local authority and commissioners who work with the service.

We spoke with three people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, quality assurance manager, one of the directors, the field care supervisor and three care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four care, support and medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to the recruitment process and staff support and supervision. A variety of records relating to the overall quality and management of the service, including audits were reviewed.

Updated 2 August 2019

About the service

Chelmscare Borehamwood is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people living in their own homes in the community.

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 the inspection forty people were being supported with a regulated activity of personal care.

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

People were positive about the standard of care and support they received from Chelmscare Borehamwood. People felt safe and staff knew how to keep people safe and how to report any concerns. One person told us "Yes, I definitely feel safe. They are very good." There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. The recruitment procedure was in the process of being reviewed to ensure it was consistently robust. New staff completed induction training before they started work. People were supported to take their medicines safely. People were protected from the risk and spread of infection. Learning from accidents and incidents was shared with staff.

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. Peoples consent was obtained before staff provided care. Staff supported people if required to eat and drink sufficient amounts to maintain their health and to access health care services and professional when required.

People liked the staff that cared for them. One person told us "They are wonderful people, I do look forward to them coming." People told us that staff were "kind, caring and thoughtful". They told us that staff supported them to achieve their individual lifestyles. People were involved in developing and reviewing their support and their care planning. Staff were respectful of people's privacy, whilst maintaining their dignity. Staff worked well as a team and were committed to improving the care experience for all the people they supported.

People were aware of how to make a complaint. We saw that only minor concerns had been raised and addressed by the registered manager in a timely way and to the satisfaction of the complainant. People’s views on the service were sought and they felt their views were taken into account.

The registered manager and quality assurance manager carried out a range of audits and checks to ensure the quality was maintained and improved where necessary. People, relatives and staff all felt supported and valued. One person told us, "The management are extremely inclusive and think nothing of providing help at short notice." The staff team worked in partnership with other professionals and organisations to help people achieve their desired outcomes.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was rated as requires improvement. (Published on 10 August 2018)

At this inspection we found the service had improved and achieved an overall rating of good.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the latest 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.