Catchers Care

Updated 7 October 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was undertaken by an 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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post.

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 6 September 2022 and ended on 8 September 2022. We visited the location’s office/service on 6 September 2022.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We reviewed information about the service, including statutory notifications, which the provider is required to send to us by law. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and two relatives to ask for their feedback. We spoke with the provider, the care manager, the registered manager of the provider’s other service and two care and support workers.

We reviewed a range of records including four care plans. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including polices and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 7 October 2022

About the service

Catchers Care is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 16 people using the service who had various health needs, including dementia. 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. When they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Risks to people had not always been identified or assessed in sufficient detail to provide information and guidance for staff or to mitigate risk. There was no evidence to show this lack of recording had a negative impact on the care and support people received. One person said, “As far as I’m concerned, it works and is well managed. The best thing is the reliability, knowing they always come”.

People spoke highly of the management team and felt the service was well run. One person said, “I would recommend this service to others because they are the tops. They are on time and they never let me down”.

People felt safe and supported by staff. A relative told us, “She has the same carers every day and gets a weekly rota which arrives either on Saturday or just before. It mostly remains the same, but if there are any changes, they always let me know”. People received support with their medicines as required by trained 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 felt staff were trained for their roles and one person told us, “I feel they know absolutely what they have to do and how to do it; I don’t have to tell them anything”. Where needed, staff supported people to access healthcare professionals and services.

People were looked after by kind and caring staff who knew them well. They were involved in all aspects of their care and their consent was obtained by staff. Referring to their carers, one person told us, “They’re lovely and kind, they can’t do enough. They will pick up things that I’ve dropped and can’t get to, they tease and chat, we have lots of laughs”.

Care was personalised and reflected people’s wishes and preferences, such as whether they wanted to be supported by male or female staff. People knew how to make a complaint and who to contact.

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 18 December 2019. In July 2022, there was a change of legal entity and transfer of shares to the new provider; this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The service was inspected because it is a new service and had not yet been rated.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the Well Led section of this full report.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified a breach in relation to records and the assessment, monitoring and mitigation of risks regarding the health, safety and welfare of people using the service.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.