Background to this inspection
Updated
20 July 2021
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
This inspection was carried out by two inspectors and Experts by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating.
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 we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it had registered with us. We used this information to plan our inspection.
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.
During the inspection
This inspection took place on 8 June 2021 when we visited the office location and made calls to people that used the service, their relatives and the staff team.
We spoke with three people who used the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and five members of staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We also received feedback from five healthcare professionals.
Updated
20 July 2021
About the service
Paragon Home Healthcare is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. This service specialises in providing live- in carers for people with complex care needs. At the time of the inspection, they supported 20 people with conditions such as dementia and spinal cord injuries.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and their relatives were happy with the care delivery and had no concerns about safety. People received timely support to manage their complex medicine routines. We were assured that use of personal protective equipment (PPE) was effective. Risk assessments were in place where it was identified that people required support to ensure their safety. The provider followed robust recruitment procedures making sure they employed suitable and fit staff to work with people using the service.
Specialised training was available to help staff to meet people’s care needs related to their complex health conditions. Staff ensured that people had access to healthcare support as needed and that their nutritional care needs were met effectively. Clinical team had assessed and overlooked care packages to ensure the provider adhered to best practice and well-being of people.
People described staff as caring, friendly and part of their family. Staff treated people with respect and dignity and made sure that confidential information about them was not shared. People were involved in making decisions about their care and provided with informed choices as necessary. People’s independence skills were recognised and encouraged to empower and support their right to equality.
Care plans captured people’s care needs which staff followed to ensure emotional, personal and physical well-being of people. People had support with communication where they required it and staff shared information with people in a way they could understand. People felt confident to raise concerns and their complaints were listened to and investigated by the provider. Care plans reflected the support people required at the end of their life and in accordance with their needs and wishes.
Quality care delivery was the primary aim of the service which empowered people to make life changing decisions and to remain living independently at home. People and their relatives recognised the efforts made by the management team to build open relationships with them and told us about the trust they had in the care provided by the service. There was a skilled and strong leadership at the service which encouraged inclusiveness and high level of engagement within the staff team. The management team ensured that people had access to other specialist organisations where they required information and support to meet their complex healthcare needs and well-being.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This was the first inspection of the service since it registered with the CQC on 4 February 2019.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on when the service registered with us.
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.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk