Archived: Bury North Care

Updated 25 May 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector.

Service and service type:

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

The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). One of the owners was in the process of making application to register with CQC. This means that they and the registered provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

This was a comprehensive inspection and took place on the 28 March and 2 April 2019. The inspection was announced. We gave the service 48-hour notice of the inspection visit as we needed to be sure the manager would be available. On the first day of our inspection we met with the manager as well as reviewed records about the service. On the second day we visited people and their relatives in their own homes, spoke with staff and met with the manager.

What we did:

Prior to the inspection the registered provider sent us a completed Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form, which is requested on an annual basis and asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and what improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed information we held about the service, including notifications the registered provider had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the registered provider is required to send us by law.

During our inspection we spoke with three people who used the service, one person’s relative, three staff and the provider. We also reviewed the care files for two people, medication administration records (MARs), four staff recruitment files and training and development records as well as information about the management and conduct of the service.

Updated 25 May 2019

About the service: Bury North Care is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people living in their own homes. The agency provides help and support to adults with a variety of needs. The service provides a range of care services including; assistance with personal care, preparation of meals, medication administration and companionship.

At the time of our inspection we were told 14 people were using the service, of which six people received assistance with personal care. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

The service had recently moved location. Application to make the changes to the providers registration were in the process of being completed.

People’s experience of using this service:

The management structure within the service had recently changed. The responsible person was in the process of making application to register as the manager with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We found that effective systems were not in place to demonstrate clear management and oversight of the service. The responsible person acknowledged that improvements were needed in several areas to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Records to show relevant checks had been completed prior to new staff commencing employment were not in place. A structured programme of training, development and support also needed to be implemented so that staff had the knowledge and skills needed to support people safely. Information about the service and what people can expect also needed reviewing and updating.

The service worked closely with people, their relatives and relevant professionals to ensure people received the care and support they wanted and needed. People spoke positively about their experiences, said they received a personalised service and were actively involved in making decisions about their support. Staff were said to treat them in a respectful and dignified manner. Detailed assessments and care plans were in place which identified the areas of support people wanted staff to assist them with.

People, their relatives and staff said the service was well-led and felt the responsible person was approachable and responsive to requests for advice and support.

We have identified three breaches of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 relating staff recruitment, training and development and quality monitoring systems. A further breach was found in the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009 with regards to the services' Statement of Purpose. A recommendation has also been made in relation to the procedure for handling complaints. Details of action we have asked the provider to take can be found at the end of the full report.

Rating at last inspection: This was the first inspection of the service therefore there is no previous rating.

Why we inspected: The inspection was carried out in line with our inspection methodology.

Follow up: We have asked the provider to send us an action plan telling us what steps they are to take to make the improvements needed. We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive, and future inspections. 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