We carried out a review of the data available to us about Guardian Homecare (Morecambe) on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Guardian Homecare (Morecambe), you can give feedback on this service.
Guardian Homecare (Morecambe) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to 132 people living within their own homes at the time of inspection. 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The registered manager and staff had a good understanding of supporting people safely during the current pandemic. For example, staff comments included, “We know the process for supporting people safely in their home. The support and guidance from the office is second to none.” Another said, “We have had lots of COVID -19 training and we have always had access to sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE).” Staff had up to date guidance and protocols were in place from the service to enable staff to support people safely. Regular COVID-19 testing was in place for all staff weekly and results were passed to the management team. A staff member said, “We have to produce negative results for the service to enable us to carry on working which is really good. The management team are excellent with support around this.” Staff were recruited safely and evidence highlighted the support staff received throughout the pandemic from the management team.
The Management team provided multiple opportunities to assist people who used the agency to pass their views to the management team. One person said, “We do give our views on the care they provide which has always been good.” Staff feed back their experiences of support they received from the service in their supervision sessions and team meetings. The management team had extensive auditing systems to maintain ongoing oversight of the agency.
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 03 February 2020).
Why we inspected
We undertook this targeted inspection to follow up on specific concerns we had received about the service. The inspection was prompted due to concerns the management team continued to employ staff to carry on their duties whilst testing positive with the COVID-19 virus. Therefore putting people who used the service at risk. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We look at this in all inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.
We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Guardian Homecare (Morecambe) on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.
Guardian Homecare (Morecambe) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to 155 people living within their own homes at the time of inspection. 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Risks were well managed and people felt safe. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibility to protect people from unsafe care and harm. Staff were recruited safely and people were happy with the management of their visits. Procedures were in place to support people safely with their medicines. Safe infection control measures were followed to protect people from harm.
People's needs were assessed, and care and support had been planned proactively and in partnership with them. People were happy with the support they received with meal preparation. Staff received the training and support they needed to carry out their roles. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were treated with dignity and respect and were fully involved in their care planning and delivery. People's right to privacy was upheld. People were positive about the service and said staff were caring and attentive. The registered manager provided people with information about local advocacy services, to ensure they could access support to express their views if they needed to.
The service was flexible and care packages were changed and adapted to meet people's changing needs and choices. People’s communication needs had been assessed and where support was required these had been met. The service listened to people's experiences, concerns and complaints. Concerns received were fully investigated and subsequent action was taken.
The registered manager worked in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure people received coordinated care which met their needs. People were happy with how the service was managed. Staff felt well supported by the registered manager. The registered manager and provider completed regular audits and checks, which ensured appropriate levels of quality and safety were maintained by the service.
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 good (published 30 August 2018). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.
Why we inspected
This was the services first 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.