Litch Care Services Limited

Updated 31 October 2017

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 30 and 31 August 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice because the location provides domiciliary care services; we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection team consisted of two 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.

Prior to the inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included any statutory notifications we had received, which are notifications the provider must send us to inform us of certain events such as serious injuries. We also contacted the local authority and commissioners for information they held about the service. We used this information to help us plan our inspection.

During the inspection visit, we asked to speak with people that used the service, however people were unable to speak with us for various reasons. We spoke with four relatives. We spoke with the registered manager and four care staff. We reviewed a range of records about how people received their care and how the service was managed. These included four care records of people who used the service, six staff records and records relating to the management of the service such as complaints, safeguarding and accident records.

Updated 31 October 2017

This inspection took place on 30 and 31 August 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice because the location provides domiciliary care services; we needed to be sure that someone would be in. Litch Care Services provides community support and personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, four people were receiving a service from the provider. This was the first comprehensive inspection of the service following registration.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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’s medicines were not always managed safely. People were supported by staff to reduce the risk of harm. However, this was not always clearly documented in their care plans. Staff understood how to safeguard people from the risk of potential abuse. However, risks of potential abuse were not always reported to the appropriate agencies. People received their support at the times they needed it and from consistent staff. People were supported by staff who had been safely recruited.

Where people lacked capacity to consent they were not having their capacity assessed and the registered manager was not checking those signing consent on behalf of people had the right legal status. People told us they thought staff had the skills required to support them. Staff told us they had an induction with training and the registered manager said this would be updated on a regular basis. People were supported by staff to eat and drink sufficient amounts to promote their health. When needed people were assisted to access relevant healthcare services.

People told us staff were caring. People were able to make decisions about their care and staff supported them to make choices. People were supported in a way which maintained their independence. People’s privacy and dignity was respected by staff.

People were involved in the assessments of their care needs and had regular care reviews. People told us that staff understood their preferences for how care and support was delivered. However, this was not always detailed in peoples care plans. People understood how to make a complaint and there were systems in place to ensure complaints were appropriately investigated and responded to.

The systems in place to check the quality of the service and ensure people’s needs had been met; were not always effective. People and staff said they found the registered manager was approachable and they felt able to share their views about the service.