Background to this inspection
Updated
9 November 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 was undertaken by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses.
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 manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 11 October 2019 and ended the same day. We visited the office location and made phone calls to people using the service to gain their views.
What we did before the inspection
We looked at all the information we had received since the service was registered. This included notifications, which is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people who used the service about their experience of the care provided and with two relatives. We spoke with the registered manager, care-coordinator and with two care staff.
We reviewed a range of records which included three people’s care records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, supervision and appraisal. We inspected a variety of records relating to the management of the service which included policies and procedures, spot check records and audits.
Updated
9 November 2019
Verified Care Limited is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes in Cottingham in the East Riding of Yorkshire and Kirkella, Hull. There were ten people receiving personal care at the time of the inspection.
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 were protected from abuse and harm. The provider had policies and procedures in place about this and staff undertook relevant training. There were enough skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs. People’s care records contained information about the care they required, and risks present to their wellbeing and in their home environment. This helped to maintain the safety of all parties. Staff were aware of this information. Personal protective equipment was provided for staff to use to maintain infection control. Medicine management was robust.
Staff received appropriate induction, training and support and applied learning effectively in line with best practice. People were supported to maintain their dietary needs.
People had their capacity assessed and were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. 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 confirmed staff were caring and kind. Information was provided to people in a format that met their needs in line with the Accessible Information Standards.
Care records were person-centred and described their individual care needs as well as what they could do for themselves to promote their independence. Reviews of people’s care took place regularly and as their needs changed. Staff worked with relevant health and social care professionals to maintain people’s health and wellbeing.
The provider had a complaints policy in place. This was provided to people in a format that met their needs. Issues raised were investigated and the outcome was shared with the complainant. outcome. This information was used to improve the service.
End of life care was still being developed. The registered manager confirmed assistance with personal care would be provided as part of their end of life care, but more training was required to make sure staff were able to deliver more specialised care.
Quality assurance checks, audits and spot checks of the staff’s practice were undertaken. Action was taken if issues were found. Data security was maintained.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 15 October 2018 and this was the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection.
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.