Background to this inspection
Updated
11 October 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. 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 consisted of one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community.
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 provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection site visit activity started on 12 September 2019 and ended on 13 September 2019.
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 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.
During the inspection
On the 12 September 2019 we spoke over the telephone with two people who used the service and two of their relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with five members of care staff over the telephone.
On the 13 September 2019 we visited the office location to see the registered manager and spoke with one member of care staff, we spent time looking at written records, which included five people’s care records and three staff personnel files in relation to recruitment. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.
Updated
11 October 2019
About the service
Focus Care Services Limited is a service providing care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support to 16 people, but only 8 of those were receiving support with personal care. As the Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not regulate domestic support, this inspection relates only to people receiving the regulated activity of personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People were pleased with the quality of care and support they experienced. They told us they felt safe when support workers were providing support to them.
Staff understood what it meant to protect people from abuse. They told us they were confident any concerns they raised would be taken seriously by the registered manager. Safe procedures were in place to make sure people received their medicines as prescribed.
There were enough staff available to ensure people’s care and support needs were met. The same support workers supported people most of the time. The provider recognized this was important to people. The provider had effective recruitment procedures in place to make sure staff had the required skills and were of suitable character and background.
Staff received training which supported them to have the knowledge and skills to do their job well and effectively meet people’s needs.
Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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 were supported to access relevant health and social care professionals to ensure they were getting the care and support they needed to best meet their needs.
Positive and supportive relationships had been developed between people and staff. People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were committed to promoting people’s independence.
Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink and to access healthcare services when they needed. They telephoned for doctors or nurses to attend to a person if they were unwell.
Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and encouraged people to be as independent as possible. People were treated with respect by staff who showed compassion and understanding.
People’s care and support was planned and delivered in a way that ensured it met their needs and reflected their preferences. The care records we looked at included risk assessments. They had been devised to help minimise and monitor the risks, while promoting the person’s independence as far as possible.
People knew how to complain and were confident the registered manager or other staff would resolve their complaint.
People who used the service, relatives and staff could express their views about the service which were acted upon. The management team provided leadership that gained the respect of staff and motivated them as a team.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and make improvements when needed. Some of these systems needed firmly embedding into practice to ensure they were fully effective
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
The last rating for this service was Good (published 29 September 2016). Since this rating was awarded the service has moved premises. 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 based on the previous rating.
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.