A Class Care Ipswich

Updated 13 January 2022

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors 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 live-in personal care to people living in their own houses, flats and specialist housing.

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 five days’ 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 available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 15 December 2021 and ended on 22 December 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. We sought feedback from the local authority who worked with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as telephone calls to engage with people using the service and staff, video calls to enable us to speak to the registered manager, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.

We spoke with two people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the director/registered manager, another director, and five care workers.

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

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at improvements the registered manager and director had made during the inspection in response to our findings.

Updated 13 January 2022

About the service

A Class Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 21 people at the time of the inspection. The service specialises in providing live-in care staff.

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

Staff knew the people they supported well. There were enough knowledgeable and trained staff to help assist people’s care and support requirements. Where concerns had been raised around some staff members, we saw these were investigated and the staff member spoken with to reduce the risk of recurrence. Most people received a telephone call to introduce new staff to them. Visiting people’s homes had been reduced due to COVID-19 and to reduce the risk of cross contamination. This meant communication could where needed be undertaken virtually or by the telephone.

Staff had medicines administration spot checks undertaken to look at their competency following their training. Staff were trained and encouraged to discuss their performance during supervision and spot checks. Potential new staff to the service had checks carried out on them. This helped make sure they were suitable to work with the people they supported.

Most people and their relatives told us the support from staff made them, their family member feel reassured. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of how to keep people safe from harm or abuse. They also knew that they should report any concerns they may have to their registered manager or to external organisations such as the local authority. Improvements had been put in place to make sure that all concerns were recorded as part of the governance system even when a formal complaint was not raised. This helped give a clearer overall picture of the service provided and any improvements required.

Staff had access to information on people’s end of life wishes to guide them. Records showed not all staff had been trained in end of life care but were booked onto training sessions. This would help the person have as dignified death as possible in line with their wishes. Staff had access to information in peoples’ care plans and risk assessments that helped guide them to care and support people safely and effectively. Staff had plenty of single use personal protective equipment, such as gloves, aprons and face masks. Infection control practices were in place to reduce the risk of cross contamination. Lessons were learnt and shared with staff when concerns were raised, or incidents happened.

People and their relatives had no concerns around how they, their family member was supported with their food and drink. Staff helped promote and maintain people’s privacy and dignity. Staff also encouraged people and their relatives to be involved in discussions and reviews around their care and support needs. In the main people felt listened to and their choices respected by staff.

The registered manager and staff when required, would work with external health and social care professionals. This would help people to receive joined up care and support.

Complaints about the service had been received. Complaints were investigated and actions taken as a result of learning to try to reduce the risk of recurrence. People and their relatives were aware of how to raise concerns. Workshops were now in place to help embed frontline and office staff’s knowledge of how to deal with complaints, so people and their relatives felt listened to. The 2021 people and relatives survey said communication had improved. However, additional contact via more frequent reviews and quality assurance had now been put in place to encourage people and staff further to raise concerns and feel listened to.

People, and relatives and staff were asked to feedback on the service provided via a survey. Improvements were either in place or ongoing. Information such as safeguarding, and deprivation of liberty safeguards were available for people and their carers in different formats such as large print or pictorial to help aid with their understanding.

The registered manager and office staff team sent staff any guidance and legislation updates. This helped staff to work with the most up to date guidance. Audits were undertaken to monitor the quality of the service provided.

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.

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 13 March 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This is the first inspection since the service registered with the CQC on 13 March 2020.

This was an ‘inspection using remote technology’. This means we did not visit the office location and instead used technology such as electronic file sharing to gather information, and video and phone calls to engage with people using the service as part of this performance review and assessment.

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.