Archived: Care at Home Services (South East) Limited Sussex Weald

Updated 10 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

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 houses and flats.

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 June and ended on 19 July 2021. We visited the office location on 30 June and 06 July 2021.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, senior care co-ordinator, care workers and the provider’s head of service delivery.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 15 people’s care records and multiple medication 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.

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 two social care professionals who had worked in partnership with the service.

Updated 10 September 2021

About the service

Care at Home Services (South East) Limited Sussex Weald is a service providing care to people in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received the regulated activity of 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 our inspection, the agency was providing support with personal care to 156 people.

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

Systems were not always effective at keeping people safe and best practice was not always followed to protect people from the risk of infection. People had detailed risk assessment in place and were administered their medicines appropriately. Recruitment at the service was conducted safely.

Communication with people was not always good and the risks of deviating from national guidance in relation COVID-19 had not been considered. People and their relatives spoke positively about the registered manager and the service had worked well in partnership with health and social care professionals.

The registered manager carried out detailed assessments of people's needs before support started and staff received appropriate training and supervision for their role. Referrals were made to health and social care professionals appropriately when people's needs changed.

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's care plans were reflective of their needs, including the support they needed with their healthcare, medicines, nutrition and personal care. People were encouraged and supported to take part in activities and staff treated people with respect and dignity.

People received personalised care and the service worked flexibly in order to meet people's needs. Staff said they had enough time to meet people’s care and support needs and any complaints were responded to promptly with actions followed up.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support,

right care, right culture. People who used the service could live as full a life as possible and

achieve the best possible outcomes. People using the service received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that was appropriate and inclusive for them. Staff understood how to communicate with people effectively to ascertain and respect their wishes. People were supported with dignity and empowered to maintain important relationships, to access their local community and supported to prevent becoming socially isolated.

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 the service under the previous provider was requires improvement, published on 7 February 2019.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about infection control and staff. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

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.