Background to this inspection
Updated
19 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
This inspection was carried out by one inspector and an 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.
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.
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection-
We spoke with six people and 10 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with six members of staff including the provider and registered manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medicine 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. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We requested information from professionals involved with the service. When their views have been shared, these have been included in the report.
Updated
19 February 2021
About the service
Novus Care provides personal care to 56 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection.
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
Except for two, the people we spoke with during this inspection were positive about the service they received.
People and their relatives said they felt safe with the staff who supported them. Robust recruitment checks were in place. When care had to be prioritised it had been scheduled around those people with the greatest needs. People said that despite having experienced some problems caused by the effects of the pandemic, they had regular staff. Staff had been trained in safeguarding and knew how to raise any concerns correctly.
Staff had a good supply of PPE and used this effectively when supporting people.
Staff had been trained in a range of mandatory subjects, and new employees were given an induction. People’s needs were assessed before care started. People were supported to eat and drink in line with their assessed needs. Detailed information was available in people’s care plans relating to their health needs and the support they needed.
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.
The staff respected people’s choices and asked them about the care they wanted. Records included information for staff about what outcomes the person wanted to achieve and how to support them to maintain their independence. People were generally supported by regular staff which helped to develop a good rapport.
Care plans had been reviewed, and people and staff told us they had been involved in this process. Where appropriate, end of life choices had been recorded. The registered manager had oversight of the complaints process and provided appropriate and timely responses.
Some staff told us that communication between themselves and the office could be improved. Generally, people told us they could not fault the staff and that they did a good job. Several people said they would recommend the company. Governance checks had been put in place, and these were being routinely carried out to monitor the quality of the service people received.
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 30/10/2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the staff working without the correct recruitment checks or PPE. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe sections of this full report.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor the 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.