Background to this inspection
Updated
24 June 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 conducted by three inspectors.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
The service had a manager registered with the CQC. 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 we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 20 May 2021 and finished on 28 May 2021. We visited the office location on 20 May 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it had registered with us. We used this information to plan our inspection.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with the registered manager, a member of the office staff responsible for call monitoring and the compliance officer.
We reviewed a range of records. This included four care records, two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including complaints, incident forms, policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke with four people using the service and five relatives. We contacted six care staff to find out their experiences of working for this provider. We received feedback from one healthcare professional.
We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after our inspection. This including the service user handbooks and records relating to governance including policies and procedures.
Updated
24 June 2021
About the service
Flow healthcare-Morden is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes, the majority of them in the Elmbridge area. At the time of the inspection, there were 43 people using the 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and their relatives were happy with the care and support they received. They had no concerns about their safety. We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely and was accessing COVID-19 testing for care workers. The provider had robust recruitment procedures in place which meant care workers were safe to work with people using the service. We were assured that the provider managed risks so people were kept safe.
Care workers received appropriate training to help them to support people in the best way possible. People and their relatives told us they were happy with support they received in relation to their ongoing healthcare and eating and drinking needs. Care plans captured these needs which care workers followed.
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’s privacy and dignity was respected by care workers. Care was delivered in a way that promoted people’s independence.
Care plans captured people’s support needs, and these were reviewed on a regular basis. There had been no formal complaints received from people or their relatives, but they were given details of how to do this if needed.
The service was managed well. The registered manager was approachable and encouraged feedback from people and staff. There were quality assurance checks in place to help ensure the service delivered to people was of a good standard. The registered manager was keen to improve the service and there was an action plan that identified any areas that needed addressing which helped to drive this improvement.
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 25 March 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on when the service registered with us.
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.