Golden Care Group

Golden Care Group is a domiciliary service which provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and also operates a supported living service. 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. At the time of this inspection there were two people in receipt of the regulated activity personal care.

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

Staff were not recruited safely and in line with providers’ policy and procedure. References were not always obtained from previous employers to ensure staff were suitable for the role and of good character. One member of staff had also started working for the service before their disclosure barring service (DBS) check being in place.

Staff did not receive regular supervision as part of their ongoing development. Internal audits were carried out to monitor the quality of service and had identified supervisions were not being conducted. However, appropriate action had not yet been taken to address this concern. Staff recruitment was also not covered as part of the audit process to ensure correct procedures were in place.

There were enough staff available to deliver people’s care safely. Staff carried out routine COVID-19 testing and there was enough personal protective equipment (PPE) available which people confirmed was always worn. People who used the service and relatives said they felt the service was safe.

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 received enough to eat and drink and said staff assisted them with this when needed. Staff told us enough training was available to support them in their roles.

We received positive feedback from people who used the service and relatives about the care provided. People said they felt treated with dignity, respect and had their independence promoted as required.

Individual care plans detailed the care and support required. There was a complaints system in place and people were supported to undertake activities within the community as needed.

People who used the service and staff provided feedback about their care through surveys and meetings. Staff spoken with during the inspection told us they felt the service was well-led.

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 24 January 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as the service had not been inspected since registering.

Enforcement and Recommendations

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 breaches in relation to good governance and fit and proper persons employed. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.