Care4Now

Updated 27 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.

Inspection team

This inspection was completed by one inspector.

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. The registered manager of this service was also the provider of the service. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced.

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 registered manager would be available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 24 November 2021 and ended on 29 November 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered with CQC. 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 video calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.

People supported by the service either were unable to speak to us or declined the offer to provide feedback. We spoke with two relatives of people supported by the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and a care worker.

Updated 27 January 2022

About the service

Care4Now is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to 3 people over the age of 65 living in their own homes.

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

People received safe care from staff who understood how to support them and who they knew well. Risk assessments in place assessed risks associated with people's care and health needs and gave direction to staff about how to minimise known risks and keep people safe. If people required support to receive their medicines, this was done safely and as prescribed. Recruitment processes in place ensured that only those staff assessed as safe and competent to work with vulnerable adults were recruited. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people's needs. Care staff understood the importance of taking precautions to reduce the risk of spreading infection.

People's capacity to make day-to-day decisions had been considered and assessed. The service was working within the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. New staff received a period of induction when then completed training and worked alongside an experienced staff member. All staff received an ongoing programme of training to keep their skills and knowledge up to date.

People were supported by care staff who cared for them and we received positive feedback about how people were treated with respect and dignity. People’s cultural needs were known by care staff and care was provided in a way which supported people’s equality and diversity characteristics.

Care plans were person centred and gave comprehensive information about the person, their needs and how they wished to be supported. People’s communication needs were considered, and information was provided in ways people could understand.

Checks and audits in place enabled the service to monitor, learn and improve the quality of care and support people received. Feedback was obtained from people and relatives to help improve the service. Staff felt supported by the registered manager.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection of a newly registered service.

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.