Background to this inspection
Updated
17 February 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. 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
This inspection was unannounced.
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 8 January 2021 and ended on 21 January 2021. We visited the office location on 8 January 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 one person who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. During and after the inspection we spoke with the registered manager, staff and the nominated individual.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at 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 professionals who regularly visit the service.
Updated
17 February 2021
About the service
Black and White Group Limited is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The service supported two people at the time of the inspection.
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
People and their relatives provided positive comments about the caring nature of staff and how they were supported. People were supported by small consistent staff teams who were familiar with their needs. People confirmed they felt safe amongst staff and staff provided care which was personalised and responsive to their needs.
The registered manager monitored the provision of care through feedback from people and their observations of staff care practices. However further improvements were needed to some of the quality monitoring systems and communication within the service to ensure the service was continually effective. From reviewing records and speaking to staff we found some discrepancies and inconsistences in some of the documentation and communication processes. We have made a recommendation about the providers governance and communication systems.
People’s support and nutritional needs and risks were assessed and known by staff. Safe medicines management practices were being used. Care plans were in place to direct staff on how people’s support should be delivered in line with people’s preferences and care assessments. 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.
Enough staff were available to support people. The provider carried out employment checks and reviewed criminal background checks as part of their recruitment process, however further recording of the decision to employ staff was needed to demonstrate staff were of good character and fit to work.
Staff told us they were confident and felt trained to carry out their role. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to record and report any concerns of abuse, accidents, incidents and near misses which were reviewed and monitored by the registered manager.
The provider and registered manager were passionate about delivering good quality care to people and were open to learning and making improvements to the service. Complaints and people’s feedback were acted on and seen as an opportunity to learn and drive improvement.
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 08/10/2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on our inspection schedule.
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.