Background to this inspection
Updated
21 September 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 undertaken 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.
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 provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 2 September 2021 and ended on 7 September 2021. We visited the office location on 2 September 2021.
What we did before the inspection
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 two people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager and care workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three 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.
Updated
21 September 2021
About the service
Caretouch Burgess Hill is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to adults living in their own homes, some of whom were living with conditions such as Stroke or frailty. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care', which includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection there were two people who received personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe, they knew who to speak with if they had any concerns. One person told us, “I feel fine, I would talk to registered manager or staff if there were any problems.” Staff received safeguarding training and were knowledgeable on the prevention and reporting of abuse.
People were supported by staff who knew them well. Staff received training to assist people with their medicines. Staff completed an induction period which included shadowing the registered manager. One staff member told us, “I've done all sorts of training and feel I can do my job well.”
People’s risks were assessed, care plans were developed to enable people to have control of their lives. The registered manager promoted people’s safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and staff received relevant training and had appropriate personal protective equipment.
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.
People confirmed staff asked consent before offering support, and advised their support was person-centred. One person told us, “We have got to know each other well. We have become quite friendly really, they certainly seem kind.”
People were supported by caring staff who respected their dignity and independence. Staff gave support so people could remain in control of their lives. One staff member told us, “This job melts my heart, I've fallen in love with this job. I think caring is in my blood.”
People received individualised support and contributed to their care plans. The registered manager would ensure documentation was produced to meet people’s communication needs. One person told us, “They write in a file, it's my care plan, and it’s got a lot of information on me. They write what they do for me.”
The registered manager sought feedback and built a rapport with people and staff. People and staff told us they felt comfortable to make suggestions, comments or complaints.
The registered manager had daily oversight and a vision for the service and devised action plans to achieve this. People and staff spoke highly of the registered manager. One relative told us, “The registered manager is very good at communicating with me. They are happy for me to call them, even into the evening and are happy to chat.”
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 6 August 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This is the first inspection for this newly registered service.
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.