Panacea Care Services

Updated 11 June 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 one inspector.

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. The registered manager was also the nominated individual and the proprietor of the service. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 20 April 2021 and ended on 6 May 2021. We visited the office location on 20 April 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed other information we had received about the service, including notifications received from the provider. The law requires providers to send us notifications about certain events that happen during the running of a service. We sought feedback from the local authority, community professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We reviewed the provider’s website. 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and eight relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and six staff. We reviewed a range of records, including four people’s care records, medication records and daily notes. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed, including the provider’s policies, procedures and quality assurance audits.

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 spoke with five community professionals who worked in partnership with the service, supporting people living in their own homes.

Updated 11 June 2021

About the service

Panacea Care Services is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to seven people at the time of the 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. Panacea Care Services provides support to older adults, people living with dementia, sensory impairments, physical disabilities and younger adults.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were placed at the heart of the service and experienced exceptionally person-centred care, which consistently achieved good outcomes, significantly improving the quality and longevity of people’s lives. People valued their relationships with their allocated staff and felt that they went ‘the extra mile’ for them, when providing care and support. The service provided outstanding end of life care, which ensured people experienced a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death. Staff also cared for and supported the people that matter to the person who was dying with empathy and understanding.

People experienced excellent continuity and consistency of care from designated staff who made them feel safe. People received safe care and were protected from avoidable harm by trusted staff, who had completed safeguarding training and knew how to recognise and report abuse. Staff effectively identified risks to people and managed them safely. The registered manager ensured enough suitable staff were deployed to meet people’s needs. Staff underwent a robust recruitment process, which explored their conduct in previous care roles to assure their suitability to support people. People received their medicines safely from staff, in accordance with recognised guidance. People and staff consistently praised the registered manager for keeping them fully informed regarding changes in government guidance relating to infection control during the pandemic. Lessons from accidents and incidents were used to drive improvements in the service.

Staff assessed all aspects of people’s physical, emotional and social needs and ensured these were met to achieve good outcomes for them. The registered manager effectively operated a system of spot checks, supervision, appraisal and monthly meetings, which supported staff to deliver care based on best practice. Staff emphasised the importance of eating and drinking well and reflected best practice in how they supported people to maintain a healthy balanced diet. Staff worked effectively with healthcare professionals to make sure care and treatment met people’s changing needs and achieved good outcomes.

Staff were very kind and caring in their approach, respecting people’s individuality and promoting their independence. People were fully involved in decisions about all aspects of their care, which made them feel valued.

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 service was well managed and well organised. The registered manager was highly visible and provided clear and direct leadership, which inspired staff. The registered manager had the skills, knowledge, and experience to lead effectively. There were robust arrangements to manage complaints and monitor the quality of the service, the performance of staff and to drive continuous improvements, to ensure people experienced high quality care.

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 23/05/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on when the service was first 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.