Regenerage

Updated 9 January 2019

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 was conducted on 6 December 2018. We gave the service short notice of the inspection. This was so that someone from the service could be present during the inspection, to provide us with the information we needed. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector form the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Before this inspection we checked all the information we held about Central Lancashire – Nail cutting service. We are required by law to be notified of any significant incidents. However, there had not been any reportable incidents and therefore it had not been necessary for the provider to send us any notifications.

A Provider Information Return (PIR) had been requested. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used a planning tool to collate all this evidence and information prior to visiting the home.

We requested feedback from two community professionals. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of peoples’ experiences. We also spoke with twelve people who used the service and two relatives. We further discussed the service provided with the managers of the service and four staff members, who at this service are nail cutters.

We checked the care files of ten people who used the service and the personnel records of all four staff members. Other documents we examined included staff training records, policies and procedures, as well as those related to the monitoring of the service.

Updated 9 January 2019

Central Lancashire Age Concern - Nail Cutting Service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides foot nail clipping and some fingernail clipping services to older adults, who live in the community. This is to support those who are unable to deal with these tasks themselves and to help them stay active and independent. The agency is managed from well-equipped offices located near to the centre of Preston. At the time of our inspection there were 297 people using the service.

The registered manager was on duty throughout our inspection. 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.

At the last inspection on 27 and 29 July 2016, we rated the service ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good. There was no evidence or information from our inspection or on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. However, at the previous inspection some recommendations were made within the key question of ‘safe’, which resulted in this domain only being rated as ‘requires improvement’. At this inspection we found the provider had addressed the previous recommendations and therefore, the key question of ‘safe’ is now rated as, ‘Good.’ This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe using the services of Central Lancashire nail cutting service. We did not identify any areas of risk during our inspection. Those who used the service were protected from abuse and records showed the staff team had received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults.

People who used the service were protected by the robust recruitment practices adopted by the home. This helped to ensure only suitable staff were appointed to work with the vulnerable people.

New employees were guided through a detailed induction programme. Staff were regularly monitored through supervision and appraisals and a broad range of training modules were provided.

People were supported to have maximum choice about the delivery of the service and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems of the service supported this practice.

People looked comfortable and relaxed in the presence of staff members. We observed a staff member supporting one person in a kind and caring manner, ensuring their privacy and dignity was consistently protected. Staff members displayed a friendly and compassionate attitude towards those who used the service. People we chatted with expressed their satisfaction about the service provided and relatives spoke highly of the staff team.

The needs of people had been thoroughly assessed before a service was arranged. The care files we saw were found to be detailed and person centred. We observed a staff member at work in the community and found she followed the agreed plans in day to day practice. This helped to ensure people received the nail care they needed.

Records showed feedback from people had been actively sought about the quality of service provided. This was underpinned by regular audits, in order to monitor the quality of service provided. We found that a system was in place for the management of complaints, although none had been received. People we spoke with felt the service was being well-managed.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.