Pivotal Home Care (NW) Ltd

Updated 9 March 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 team consisted of one inspector and one Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is 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 houses and flats.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and we wanted to ensure there would be someone at the office. On the planned day of the inspection the provider was unavailable. The inspection went ahead 24 hours later.

Inspection activity started on 10 December 2020 and ended on 21 December 2020. We visited the office location on 5 January 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered. We sought feedback from the local authority. 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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and nine relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the nominated individual and care staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three 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.

Updated 9 March 2021

About the service

Pivotal Home Care (NW) Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes in the Trafford area of Greater Manchester. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 14 people in their own homes.

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.

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

There was no registered manager in post at the service. The provider had a good oversight of the service, however further embedding of their quality assurance processes was required. The nominated individual was going to register as the manager of the service until a new manager was recruited.

People and their relatives felt safe while being supported by the provider. Staff were recruited safely and received induction and training to enhance their knowledge. Medicines were safely managed. The provider had highlighted improvements to be made in relation to medication administration records (MAR).

People and their relatives spoke highly of the service. Care plans were detailed, and person centred. They contained clear information on the support required by each individual. People and their relatives were aware of how to raise any concerns with the provider.

An assessment was completed for all people beginning to use the service to ensure their needs could be met. 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.

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 05/07/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection of a 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.