Archived: Unicorn1care Ltd

Updated 2 October 2020

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.

This was a targeted inspection to check whether the provider had met the requirements of the Requirement Notices in relation to Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment), Regulation 17 (good governance) and Regulation 19 (fit and proper persons employed) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and to review a recommendation we had made in relation to personalised care planning. We also reviewed the infection control practices of the service, as we had received a concern that staff were not always wearing the correct personal protective equipment (PPE).

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

The service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

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 a short period of notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to discuss the safety of people, staff and inspectors with reference to COVID-19.

Inspection activity started on 24 August 2020 and ended on 7 September 2020. We visited the office location on 24 August 2020.

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. We also sought feedback from Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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 two people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three care workers and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records, including three staff recruitment files, multiple medicines administration records and three care files.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 2 October 2020

About the service:

Unicorn1care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, 23 people were using the service. Of those 23 people, 17 received personal care and the remainder received help in the home or companionship services. We only looked at the service for people receiving personal care as this is the activity that is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

People's experience of using this service:

People who received care from Unicorn1care Ltd told us they felt safe and supported by staff who visited them. Staff were punctual and consistent at carrying out visits with people in a person-centred manner. People were supported to continue living at home in a way that enabled them to be as independent as possible.

The registered manager had not ensured that certain areas of the service were always safe. We found that medicines were not always managed safely because records were not always correct or audited.

Recruitment checks of new staff had not been completed consistently. One staff member had not been recruited safely in line with the requirements of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 Schedule 3.

Not all people's care plans were person-centred. Care records documenting people's long-term conditions such as diabetes was limited. We have made a recommendation that the provider seeks guidance and advice from a reputable source, in relation to personalised care planning

We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We found the service ensured staff received training in respect of the MCA. However, we found consent forms were signed by family members of the people who lack the appropriate authority.

People and relatives described staff as caring and kind towards them. Staff were approachable and friendly with people they cared for and knew them well.

Staff enjoyed working at the service and said the registered manager and team leaders were approachable.

We identified two breaches of the regulations. Safe recruitment practices were not always followed and governance systems were not effective. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

Rating at last inspection:

The service was first registered with the CQC in May 2018. This was our first inspection of this service.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection in line with CQC’s guidelines to inspect all new services within 12 months of registration.

Follow up:

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

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