Archived: Caring 4 U

Updated 14 September 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by one 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service four days’ notice of the inspection. This was because we required details of people who used the service for the Expert by Experience to contact by telephone. We also needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 11 people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff, the registered manager, branch manager and operations director. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care and medicine records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. The provider sent us additional information we requested, and this was looked at as part of the inspection.

Updated 14 September 2019

About the service

Caring 4 U is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. There were 43 people using the service at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Staff were exceptionally responsive to people’s needs and circumstances. They went above and beyond the call of duty to provide individualised, person centred, high quality care. The service listened to people’s complaints and concerns and changed the service to accommodate their needs and wishes. People had outstanding care towards and at the end of their life by skilled staff who went the extra mile to be there for them.

Staff were very caring and kind and involved people in their care arrangements and treated them with dignity and respect. Assessments were carried out to ensure people's needs could be met. Staff understood people's likes, dislikes and preferences and people told us they were offered choices about their care.

People received safe care and staff understood safeguarding procedures. There were systems for assessing and managing risk to help make sure all were kept safe from foreseeable risks. Recruitment practices were safe, and there were enough staff, which meant people received the calls they needed. There were systems in place to make sure people received their medicines safely. The service analysed accidents and incidents to prevent reoccurrence and keep people safe from harm.

Staff had the right skills and experience to meet people's needs. A comprehensive induction and training programme were completed by all staff. 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.

There was a strong management team, who had strong values and provided positive role models to staff. Staff were well supported and respected. The provider ensured there was effective oversight and governance of the service and any concerns in relation to the quality of support were identified and acted upon promptly.

Rating at last inspection

This was the service's first inspection at this location.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.