UK Caring Services

Updated 22 September 2022

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 was undertaken by three inspectors and an expert by experience. 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the registered manager 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that they or the provider would be in the office to support the inspection visit. Inspection activity started on 04 August 2022 and ended on 10 August 2022. We visited the provider’s office on 04 August 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we had received about the service since our last inspection. 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. We gathered feedback from local authority commissioners who work with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke via the telephone to five people and nine people’s relatives to gather their feedback about the care and support provided. We spoke with the registered manager, three care co-ordinators and six care assistants. We reviewed 10 people’s care records and seven people’s medication records, staff training data, some policies and procedures and a range of records relating to the management of the service. We reviewed the recruitment records of three staff to check they had been recruited safely.

Updated 22 September 2022

About the service

UK Caring Services is a domiciliary care agency which is registered to provide personal care and support to people in their own homes. The service is registered to provide support to people, living with dementia, people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments.

At the time of this inspection, 93 people were using the service. 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.

People's experience of using this service

Managerial oversight of the service needed to be improved. Auditing systems had not identified the shortfalls we found. In addition, processes to share important information with us as required needed to be strengthened. The management of some risks associated with people’s care and support required improvement. The registered manager told us they would take action to improve safety. Despite our findings, staff explained how they provided people’s care safely and they understood what they needed to do in the event of an emergency.

The majority of care plans we reviewed lacked information. We made a recommendation about adding further information to care plans. The registered manager understood their responsibility to be open and honest when things had gone wrong. The whole staff team demonstrated their commitment to ensuring people received good quality care.

Staff completed safeguarding training and safeguarding procedures were in place to protect people. Staff had been recruited safely and nearly all people spoken with told us they felt safe with their care workers. Staff completed infection prevention and control training and they followed safe practice when they visited people’s homes. People’s medicines were administered by trained staff. Checks of medicines took place and the registered manager told us staff would receive further support and training to improve their practice if any errors occurred.

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. However, the policies and systems in the service did not always support this practice. We have made a recommendation to ensure the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were always followed during care planning to uphold people’s rights.

Staff had the skills they needed to provide effective care. New staff completed an induction followed by an ongoing training programme. Managers observed staff members practice in people’s homes to ensure they put their training into practice. Staff felt valued and supported and they understood what their managers expected of them. People were supported with a balanced diet to maintain their health. The service worked in partnership with other agencies to ensure people received the care and support, they needed to live healthy lives.

Staff were kind and caring, they spoke fondly about people and understood the importance of treating people as individuals. People’s dignity was maintained and their right to privacy was respected. The support people received enabled them to remain living in their own homes in line with their wishes.

People knew how to complain, and records confirmed complaints received had been managed in line with the provider’s policy. Most people spoke positively about the leadership of the service and the service had received a high number of compliments in the few months prior to our visit.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 06 February 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to the safety and governance of the service at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

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