MSA Care Walsall

Updated 24 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

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

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

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 11 October 2021 and ended on 13 October 2021. We visited the office location on 11 October..

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. This information helps support our inspections. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

When we visited the office, we spoke to the registered manager, the director, and a further manager who supports the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records in relation to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

After the inspection we spoke with seven people who used the service and/or their relatives by telephone to get their views of the care provided. We also spoke to six staff members by telephone. We reviewed care records, support plans, medical charts, policies and other documentation that was sent to us electronically. We sought clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and infection control policies.

Updated 24 November 2021

MSA is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. The service was supporting 70 people at the time of inspection.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is to 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 felt safe and trusted staff. Risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and staff knew how to support people to keep them safe. Medication was administered safely. Carers had received training to recognise and report signs of abuse.

Safe recruitment processes were in place and staff received a thorough induction to familiarise themselves with the expectations of the role and the values of the service. They received good quality training and supervision to help them acquire the skills and knowledge to fulfil their role and responsibilities.

People told us staff were caring and knew their needs and preferences well. People were treated with dignity and respect and their independence was promoted and encouraged by staff.

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 needs were assessed before the service provided them with care or support. Care plans were developed from these assessments and gave guidance to staff about people’s needs and preferences. People and their relatives, where appropriate, were involved in this process.

The registered manager was open and transparent and promoted a person-centred culture within the service according to staff. Systems and processes were in place to monitor the quality of the service, and to seek the views of the people who used it.

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 11/10/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as the service was unrated.

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.