Archived: Premier Care - South Lancashire Branch

Premier Care – South Lancashire Branch (Premier Care) is a domiciliary care service. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care for 33 people.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People told us they felt safe using the services of Premier Care. One person said, “They’re (staff) really good and I trust them.” Another told us, “I feel very safe. They (staff) are very caring people.”

People were very complimentary about the registered manager of the service. One person told us, “She’s a lovely lady. The staff have a lovely boss; she’s grand. She’s a carer as well. When they have been short and the staff can’t get to someone she (registered manager) does it, so you know she cares, which is really good. When she came she talked to me about my package of care and I have to say it’s looking like a good package from Premier Care, so I’m very happy. The manager is really good and caring.”

Medicines were not being managed well. The Medicine Administration Records (MAR) were not being completed accurately and this put people at risk of harm.

The plans of care were not always person centred, as they failed to accurately reflect people’s assessed needs and how these were to be best met.

We made a recommendation in relation to assessing risk. However, infection control practices were robust. Systems were in place to ensure any safeguarding concerns were dealt with appropriately. Staff understood the actions to take in the event of a concern. Staff had been recruited safely and relevant training and supervision was undertaken.

We made a recommendation in relation to monitoring of the service, as some areas in need of improvement had not been identified through the auditing process and actions taken were not clear.

We made a recommendation in relation to mental capacity assessments, consent and best interest decision making. However, we observed that 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’s needs were assessed and they received good care. People and their relatives were happy with the care provided by the staff team.

The service demonstrated partnership working. The staff team ensured effective liaison with relevant community professionals to support good care to people.

Complaints were well managed. People we spoke with raised no concerns about the service. Team meetings were being undertaken and positive feedback was seen about the service provided. A range of policies and guidance was available to support the care provided. The provider understood the operation and management of the service.

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

Rating at the last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 22 October 2018). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed its name. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection conducted due to the change of ownership.

At this inspection we have identified breaches in relation to the management of medicines and the planning of people’s care.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of the full report.

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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.