Kingfisher Care Services

Updated 1 October 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by three inspectors.

Service and service type

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

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We wanted to ensure staff would be available to support the inspection.

We gave short notice on 03 August 2022 to the provider and arranged a video meeting with them for 05 August 2022. We visited the provider's office on 11 August 2022. A further feedback video meeting took place with them on 18 August 2022.

Inspection activity started on 03 August 2022 and ended on 08 September 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We used technology such as video calls and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation. We contacted people using the service, relatives and staff by telephone. We spoke with seven people and nine relatives. Additionally, we communicated with the provider and 11 staff including a consultant employed by the provider.

We looked at a range of records. This included six care and risk plans, health management and medication administering information. We looked at three staff's employment records and staff training planner. We reviewed policies and procedures and quality monitoring records the provider used to assure themselves people received a safe service.

Updated 1 October 2022

About the service

Kingfisher Care Services is a domiciliary care service providing support to people in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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. At the time of our visit there were 52 people in receipt of the regulated activity of personal care.

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

We received mixed feedback from people and their relatives about how safe and cared for they felt. Some people highly praised their regular staff when talking about their care experiences and safety, while others said their care calls felt rushed, and they had not always experienced a caring attitude from some staff.

The provider had made improvements in care and risk planning documentation. However, further improvements were required as not always ensured staff had all the information required about some people’s individual health and physical needs to support staff’s knowledge of how to respond to reduce risks.

It was unclear how the provider consistently assured themselves staff continue to be competent when assisting people with their physical needs including the use of equipment. We have made a recommendation the provider considers how they are regularly checking staff’s competency in relation to meeting people’s physical needs in line with current guidance and best practice.

People were protected from the risk of abuse and staff understood their responsibility to protect people from the risk of abuse or neglect. However, there was one concern the provider had not reported to the local authority for further investigation.

There were some quality monitoring systems in place and the provider had used these to make improvements following our last inspection. However, the provider was aware these required strengthening such as, improvements in the oversight of people’s care calls through the electronic system the provider had introduced to ensure people always experienced good outcomes.

The provider had consistently followed safe recruitment processes to help make sure they only employed suitable staff. Procedures were in place to support people with their medicines.

There were arrangements in place for preventing and controlling infection, and the provider had implemented these in line with national guidance.

Staff had received the training they required to be able to effectively support people. Overall staff felt supported by the provider, care manager and other office and senior staff who were always available to them.

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 eat and drink and to access health care services where required. A person’s care call to support them with eating and drinking had been missed. This was an oversight and the provider had acted at the time and apologies were made in line with the providers duty of candour.

People were involved in making decisions about their care and support and; staff understood people's diverse needs. People's communication needs had been assessed and met.

People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy. The provider worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to provide joined up care.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 05 February 2020).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Kingfisher Care Services on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.