CorderCare Office

Updated 21 September 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 announced, comprehensive inspection took place on 6, 7 and 14 August 2018. It was undertaken by one inspector. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available.

Before our inspection we looked at all the information we held about the service including notifications. A notification is information about events that the registered persons are required, by law, to tell us about. We looked at the provider information return (PIR) which we received on 10 May 2018. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, including what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make.

To help us with planning our inspection, we asked for feedback via surveys. We received responses from eight people and three relatives. We asked for feedback from representatives of a local authority contracts team, commissioners of the service, Healthwatch, and local safeguarding teams. We also checked the reviews website homecare.co.uk for comments.

The inspection took place between 6 and 14 August 2018. It included a visit to the office, interviews with three people who use the service, one relative and five staff interviews. We also looked at records relating to the provision of care and the management of the service.

On the first day of the inspection we spoke over the telephone with two people who used the service, one other person’s relative and a community nurse. We also received email feedback from an occupational therapist. On the second day we visited the agency office and spoke with the registered manager, a care co-ordinator and a care worker who provided administrative support. We looked at parts of nine people’s care records, and records relevant to the running of the service. These included quality assurance audits, staff training and recruitment information and arrangements for managing complaints. On the third day of our inspection we spoke on the telephone with one person and two care workers.

Updated 21 September 2018

CorderCare Office is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to both older and younger adults.

This is the first inspection of this service since the agency office moved in January 2018. This announced inspection took place on 6, 7 and 14 August 2018. There were 34 people receiving the regulated activity of personal care during this inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

People were protected from avoidable harm by a staff team trained and confident to recognise and report any concerns. Potential risks to people were assessed and minimised.

Staff were only employed after satisfactory pre-employment checks had been obtained. There were enough staff to ensure people’s needs were met safely and in a timely manner.

People were supported to manage their prescribed medicines by staff who were trained and had been assessed as competent to administer medicines. Staff followed the provider’s procedures to prevent the spread of infection and reduce the risk of cross contamination.

Staff knew the people they cared for well and understood, and met, their needs. People received care from staff who were trained and well supported to meet people’s assessed needs. Staff had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s assessed needs.

People were supported by staff to have enough to eat and drink. People were assisted to have access to external healthcare services to help maintain their health and well-being Staff worked within and across organisations to deliver effective care and support.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. They were fully involved in making decisions about their care and support. People and their relatives were involved in the setting up and review of their or their family member’s individual support and care plans.

Staff treated people kindly and made people feel that they mattered. Staff respected and promoted people’s privacy, dignity and independence.

People’s individual needs were assessed and staff used this information to deliver personalised care that met that met people’s needs. Staff supported people to have the most comfortable, dignified, and pain-free a death as possible. Staff worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure that people received joined-up care.

People’s suggestions and complaints were listened to, investigated, and acted upon to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Staff liked working for the service. They were clear about their role to provide people with a high-quality service and upholding the service’s values.

The registered manager sought feedback about the quality of the service provided from people. Audits and quality monitoring checks were carried out to help drive forward improvements.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.