21 May 2019
During a routine inspection
Sync Alliance Healthcare is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service supported two people.
People’s experience of using this service:
Staff had not been recruited safely as the registered provider had not ensured all the required checks had been undertaken before staff commenced work at the service. These checks are required to ensure staff were suitable for their role. This was a breach of the regulation.
The systems to check the quality of the service provided for people were not consistently effective and required some improvement.
Relatives told us their family members felt safe when supported by staff. They told us their family members received a consistent and reliable service which met their needs. Staff reminded people to take their medicines which enabled them to take them on time. Staff wore gloves and aprons to ensure they protected people from cross infection.
Staff were aware of how to keep people safe from potential risk of harm. Risk assessments were in place and staff knew how to support people’s individual needs. Relatives confirmed they and their family members were involved in the assessment process. This ensured the service provided could meet people’s needs.
Staff received an induction when they started work to enable them to gain skills for their role. If required staff supported people to access healthcare services, and they monitored people’s wellbeing. People, as much as practicably possible, had choice and control of their lives and staff were aware of how to support them in the least restrictive way.
Relatives described staff as polite, kind and caring. Relatives confirmed to us that staff encouraged people’s independence, protected their privacy and treated them with dignity. Relatives confirmed people were supported by staff who knew their preferences.
Relatives told us they were happy with the service provided to their family members, and they knew who to contact if they had any concerns. Feedback was actively sought about the quality of the care being provided.
Staff felt supported in their roles, and relatives were happy with the way the service was being managed.
Rating at last inspection:
This was the first inspection of the service since they registered with CQC.
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection. The site visit took place on the 21 May 2019 and telephone calls were made to people using the service on the 21 May 2019.
Enforcement:
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of the full report.
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