Updated 6 May 2020
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 team was one inspector, one assistant inspector and an Expert by Experience. The Expert by Experience was 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.
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
This inspection was announced on 28 February 2020. The inspection activity started on 3 March 2020 and ended on 11 March 2020. This was to allow relatives, staff and professionals to submit written feedback. We visited the office location on 3 March 2020 and spoke with relatives between the 4 and 6 March 2020.
What we did before the inspection
Due to CQC’s technical problems, the provider was not able to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). 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 looked at information we held, information about the provider’s registration, statement of purpose and website. We used this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and provider. We also spoke with the service manager and the lead nurse, whose role included organising and supporting care staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and their medicine records. We looked at four 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. We also looked at training data and quality assurance records.
After the inspection
Due to the issues in respect of the PIR, more time was given for the provider and registered manager to submit further supporting information.
We received further clarification from the provider to validate evidence found in respect of the management of medicines. We received written feedback from 10 staff, two relatives and five professionals involved in those cared for by the service.