Background to this inspection
Updated
21 July 2023
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
This inspection was carried out by an inspector 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 provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 05 May 2023 and ended on 12 June 2023. We visited the location’s office on Wednesday 10 May 2023.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 7 people about their experience of using the service. We also spoke with the registered manager, administration staff, care workers and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We reviewed care records and documentation related to safety, audit and quality assurance.
Updated
21 July 2023
About the service
iCare Solutions Manchester is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care to people in their own houses and flats. At the time of this inspection the service was supporting approximately 40 people. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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 and what we found
People received care and support from a dedicated, caring and committed team of staff. Staff always sought to ensure people were treated in a dignified and respectful way. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse and worked well with other agencies to do so. There were enough appropriately trained and skilled staff to meet people’s needs and to keep them safe.
The service benefited from a diverse workforce who were representative of the community it served. The needs of people from different backgrounds were identified, acknowledged, and acted upon.
Systems for audit, quality assurance and questioning of practice had been embedded into everyday practice with clear lines of accountability now established. The provider fully understood the importance of maintaining systems and processes which support good governance.
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.
People and those important to them were involved in planning their care. Staff evaluated the quality of care provided involving the person, their families, and other professionals as appropriate.
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 Requires Improvement (published 24 January 2022).
Why we inspected
At the last inspection, breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment and good governance.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions of Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.