Background to this inspection
Updated
20 August 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
The inspection was carried out by one inspector who visited the service office and an Expert by Experience who made telephone calls to families of the people using the service. 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 and support to people living in their own houses and flats.
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 provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 30 July 2021 and ended on 3 August 2021. We visited the office location on 2 August 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered with us. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people who used the service and six relatives on the telephone about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 13 members of staff including the provider, registered manager, director, administrator and care workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at six staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. 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.
Updated
20 August 2021
KLASS CARE LTD is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living 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 the inspection, the service was supporting 14 people with personal care in Bournemouth, Poole and the Purbecks.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Quality assurance systems did not always operate effectively. The service did not seek formal feedback about the standard of care provided and therefore did not use this to drive improvements. We have made a recommendation about their quality assurance systems. The provider had started to put robust plans in place during the inspection.
People and their relatives told us they felt safe with the support and care of staff from Klass Care. People felt listened to and the service was responsive to their changing needs. Medicines were managed safely, and infection prevention and control procedures were adhered to. There was enough staff and recruitment was ongoing.
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. The registered manager and provider were seeking further guidance about assessing capacity for people to make decisions about their care and support.
People were supported where needed to eat and drink well. They had access to timely healthcare support as needed. A regular staff team supported consistency and continuity within the service. Staff were introduced to each person before they were assigned to provide care. People had personalised care plans that were responsive to their needs. The registered manager was keen to develop plans which explored people’s wishes about the end of their life.
There was a complaints procedure in place. People felt confident that they could speak about any concerns and that they would be acted upon. Staff had received safeguarding training and knew who to report to, including whistleblowing. Staff were kind and caring and often went the extra mile for people. Communication within the service was good, people were kept informed and updated if there were changes to their schedule of care.
Staff were proud to work for Klass Care and got on well with their colleagues, explaining to us they were like a big family. Committed to Klass Care they had confidence and respected the registered manager. Every piece of feedback was positive about the provider and the registered manager.
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 5 July 2019 and this is 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.