Background to this inspection
Updated
2 December 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
One inspector carried out the inspection.
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 a short notice period of the inspection because we wanted to ensure the registered manager was available to speak with us.
Inspection activity started on 4 November 2021 and ended on 11 November 2021. We visited the office location on 4 November 2021.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since its registration. 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 the registered manager and the operations manager about how the service was run. We reviewed care records for three people who used the service, including their risk assessments, care plans and arrangements for managing medicines.
After the inspection
We spoke with two people who used the service and five relatives to hear their views about the care and support provided. We received feedback from two professionals who worked with the service and five staff about the training and support they received.
The registered manager sent us additional information including records of staff recruitment, training and supervision, quality audits and the agency’s business continuity plan.
Updated
2 December 2021
About the service
Watershed Care Services Limited provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The service supports people with a wide range of needs including dementia, physical disability, sensory impairment and mental health conditions.
The service was supporting 29 people at the time of our inspection, all of whom received personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Ten of these people received live-in care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt safe when staff provided their care. People told us they received a reliable service from staff who knew how to provide their care in a safe way.
Staff understood their responsibilities in protecting people from abuse and knew how to report any concerns they had. The provider’s recruitment procedures helped ensure only suitable staff were employed.
Risk assessments had been carried out to identify and mitigate any risks involved in people’s care. People’s medicines were managed and administered safely. Staff helped keep people’s homes clean and wore personal protective equipment (PPE) when they carried out their visits.
Staff had the support and training they needed to carry out their roles. This included an induction when they started work, regular refresher training and supervision with their managers.
People’s needs were assessed before they began to use the service. A personalised care plan was developed from this assessment which contained information for staff about how people’s care should be provided.
Staff monitored people’s health effectively and supported people to access healthcare services when they needed them.
People received their care from consistent staff and had established positive relationships with their care workers. People said staff understood their preferences about their care and respected their choices. Staff supported people to maintain their independence where this was important to them.
There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. These included regular spot checks and audits of key aspects of the service.
People had opportunities to give feedback about the care they received and their views were listened to. Complaints were managed in line with the provider’s complaints procedure and action taken to resolve any issues raised.
The registered manager provided good leadership for the service and staff were well-supported by the management team. The agency had established effective working relationships with other professionals involved in people’s care, including commissioners, care managers and healthcare professionals.
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 at these premises on 24 October 2019 and this is the first inspection at that address. The last rating for the service at the previous premises was good (published 29 April 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date of the service’s registration.
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.