Kosh Care Ltd

Updated 24 July 2021

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 team included one inspector and one 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 48 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service, and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, we looked at information we held about the service. This information included any statutory notifications that the provider had sent to the CQC. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, who is also the provider and the owner of the service. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We looked at a variety of records relating to staff training, the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate the evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We received feedback from one person using the service, four relatives and one external health professional.

Updated 24 July 2021

About the service

Kosh Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency that provides care and support to younger and older people in their own home. People receiving a service included those with dementia, sensory impairment, physical disabilities and learning disabilities. At the time of our visit the service was providing regulated activity to 4 people.

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

Kosh Care is a small provider in the process of establishing itself as a well prospering care service. Although we found some improvements were needed (as described in this report's safe and responsive domain), the registered manager had taken the necessary steps to provide individualised service and support for people.

Some care plans and risk assessments had limited information about details of people's care. This was related to how staff should minimise identified risks and how people would like to receive their care. Furthermore, the registered manager needed to further develop the process around managing people's medicines. We have made recommendations about effective risk assessment, management of medicines and care planning. Since our visit, the registered manager informed us that he had addressed these matters.

Staff protected people from harm. Staff received training in safeguarding people. Where people needed additional support or their health had deteriorated, staff took immediate action to ensure people received the necessary support. There were effective infection prevention and control measures to protect people from the risk of infection, including COVID-19.

Recruitment procedures were safe to ensure people were protected from unsuitable staff. The registered manager deployed enough care staff to support people as agreed.

People and relatives spoke positively about the staff who supported people. They described staff as kind and willing to go the extra mile to keep people well. Staff protected people's privacy and dignity when supporting them and encouraged people's independence as much as it was possible.

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 their relatives, staff and external professionals all thought the service was well managed. The registered manager was approachable, supportive, and took prompt action when people, relatives, and staff identified shortfalls in the care and service provided. There were monitoring systems to ensure the service was run effectively, and lessons were learnt when things went wrong.

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

Rating at last inspection (and update)

This service was registered with us on 08/05/2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We inspected Kosh Care Ltd as part of our inspection prioritisation programme. We carried out this inspection as we had not inspected this location since it was registered with us in May 2018. We needed to carry out a comprehensive inspection to obtain an in-depth and holistic view across the whole service, looking at all five key questions to consider if the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

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.