We carried out a review of the data available to us about Social Care Consortium on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Social Care Consortium, you can give feedback on this service.
Social Care Consortium is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to older adults living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 50 people using the service and were receiving personal care.
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
People told us people they were extremely happy with the care and support they received because they felt safe and all their needs were met by kind and caring staff.
People had access to healthcare services and were involved in decisions about their care. Partnerships with other agencies and health professionals enabled effective outcomes for people. Staff supported people to take medicines safely.
People's care was planned and risks to their safety and wellbeing were assessed. The agency reviewed these plans regularly, involving people in these reviews and asking for their opinions. They delivered good quality care which had led to improvements in people's health and well-being.
Staff had completed safeguarding training and understood their role in identifying and reporting any concerns of potential abuse or poor practice.
People and staff praised the managers of the service and agreed that they were approachable, knowledgeable, fair and did their job well. The staff team worked well together and supported the manager.
The staff team was committed to providing a high-quality service. They had undertaken training so that they were skilled and knowledgeable to effectively meet people’s needs. Staff understood their responsibilities to report any concerns.
Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and respected people’s privacy and dignity.
People were given choices about the way in which they were cared for. Staff listened to them and knew their needs well. Care plans contained information about each person’s individual support needs and preferences in relation to their care and support.
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.
Recruitment practices were safe and relevant checks had been completed before staff worked at the service.
People confirmed the service did not miss any care calls and that staff were usually on time.
People received care and support from a small group of staff, which provided consistency.
The managers of the service actively sought the views of people and their relatives about the running of the service and they dealt promptly with any concerns that people raised.
The provider had systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided. There was a positive culture throughout the service. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and felt valued.
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More information is in the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection
At the last inspection we rated this service Good. The report was published on 5th October 2018.
Why we inspected
We carried out a focused inspection of this service on 18 October 2022. This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well Led.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect
The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.
The service helped people to stay safe. Staff knew about abuse and how to report it and other incidents or accidents which took place. Risks to people were assessed and updated and there were systems in place to ensure there was enough staff to meet people's needs.
People’s needs were assessed and care plans were developed to identify what care and support people required. People said they were involved in their care planning and were happy to express their views or raise concerns
Staff members received the training, support and development opportunities they needed to be able to meet people's needs.
People experienced positive outcomes because of the service they received and gave us good feedback about their care and support.
People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. People’s views on the service were regularly sought and acted on.
Staff were motivated and proud to work for the service; and as a result, new staff had remained working for the agency, ensuring that continuity of care was in place for people who used the service.
Staff were respectful of people’s privacy and maintained their dignity.
The service followed safe recruitment practices and carried out appropriate checks before staff started supporting people.
The registered manager demonstrated leadership and a good understanding of the importance of effective quality assurance systems. There were processes in place to monitor quality and understand the experiences of people who used the service. We saw that regular visits and phone calls had been made to people using the service and their relatives to obtain feedback about the staff and the care provided.
The service worked in co-operation with other organisations such as healthcare services to deliver effective care and support.
The service listened and responded to people’s concerns and complaints, and used this to improve the quality of care. The service learnt lessons and made improvements when things went wrong.