Background to this inspection
Updated
17 August 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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was completed by one inspector and two 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
Inspection activity started on 27 July 2022 and ended on 28 July 2022. We visited the office location on 27 July and sought feedback from staff on 28 July 2022.
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.
During the inspection
We spoke with 24 people, and/or their relatives, who received a service. We spoke with the registered manager, medicines co-ordinator and received feedback from a further three members of staff.
We reviewed a range of records including; the care records of four people, multiple medicine records, recruitment records and the training matrix. We reviewed a range of governance records which included audits of care quality and care records, feedback from service users and their relatives, and feedback from commissioners.
Updated
17 August 2022
About the service
Premier care Lancaster Branch, provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the Lancaster and South Ribble areas. 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 inspection there were 120 people receiving a service and approximately 80 people receiving personal care.
People's experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm, by staff who understood and followed the provider's policies and procedures. People received safe care from suitably employed and trained staff. People told us they felt safe as a result of the care they received. People received their medicines as prescribed from staff who were trained and competent in medicine administration.
People received consistent care because the provider and registered manager had good oversight of the quality of care and care records. People found staff and managers in the office to be approachable and committed to addressing any concerns they raised. People had been encouraged to give their feedback about their experiences of the service. The most recent analysis showed the majority of people had been satisfied with the service provided.
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.
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 requires improvement. (Published 4 March 2020). There were two breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 4 March 2020. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and governance.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.
The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Premier Care Lancaster Branch 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.