Background to this inspection
Updated
17 November 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.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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 a short period 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. The inspection activity started on 14 October 2021 and ended on 21 October 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered with CQC. 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.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people and three relatives. We spoke with the registered manager, HR manager, deputy manager and two staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care plans, associated risk assessments and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke with two more staff. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, quality surveys and quality assurance records.
Updated
17 November 2021
About the service
Prepare4care is a domiciliary care agency which provides care and support to people living in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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 55 people were receiving personal care. Most of the people supported were older people or people with a physical disability. The service is also registered to provide support to younger people, people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder and mental health conditions.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
New staff were not consistently recruited safely. The registered manager took immediate action during and following the inspection to address this.
People were supported by a regular team of staff who arrived on time and stayed the length of time they should. One person said, “We have a regular team of lovely carers and they have all adapted amazingly to how I need to be supported.”
People told us they felt safe receiving care and support from Prepare4care. Risks to people’s health, safety and welfare were regularly assessed, monitored and reviewed. Action was taken to keep people as safe as possible. People were protected from the risks of abuse, harm and discrimination by staff who were regularly trained to recognise signs of abuse. People received their medicines safely and on time.
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.
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.
Right support:
• Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence
People were supported to make choices and to be as independent as possible. People were empowered to reach their personal goals, and this had positive outcomes for people. Staff spoke compassionately about the people they supported.
Right care:
• Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights
People received care and support that was planned with them and centred on them as an individual. There was a holistic approach to planning people’s care where people’s physical, psychological and social care needs were assessed with them. People’s privacy and dignity were respected, and their human rights protected.
Right culture:
• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people
using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives
The registered manager and staff worked as a cohesive team and followed a clear set of values. There was clear, visible leadership and the registered manager led by example. People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the leadership of the service.
People’s care and support needs were assessed before they began using the service to make sure staff could meet their needs. Regular reviews were completed to see if people needed any changes to their care packages. Care plans were written with people and their relatives to ensure people’s needs were at the centre of the care they received. These gave staff detailed guidance about how people preferred to be supported. People told us they were supported to be as independent as possible and staff encouraged and empowered them to reach their personal goals.
People told us they knew how to raise a complaint or inform the service about the good practice of staff. People did not have any complaints. Feedback, received through regular spot checks, quality assurance surveys and regular telephone calls to people, was positive. People were regularly reminded about how to provide any feedback as this was encouraged by the management team to make sure they could provide a good quality of service.
People, relatives and staff said they felt the service was well-led. They told us communication with the office was good and they would recommend the service to others. People had confidence in the leadership of the registered manager and the management team.
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 25 June 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the length of time since the service registered with CQC.
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.