Background to this inspection
Updated
17 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
The inspection was conducted by one 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 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 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 30 April 2021 and ended on 12 May 2021. We visited the office location on 5 May 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We visited the office where the service was managed. We spoke with the registered manager who was also the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We spoke also with the care coordinator, finance manager, and training officer. We looked at a variety of records related to the running of the service. These included the care and risk management plans of three people using the service, the staff files for three care workers and records the managers kept for monitoring the quality of the service.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at service management records. We spoke with nine people who use the service and five relatives. We also spoke with two staff and four adult social care professionals who regularly work with the service.
Updated
17 June 2021
About the service
Unit 4, Bentinck Court, also known as Parkins Care Angels, is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to mostly older people living in their own homes in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It also supports some adults who are living with dementia and adults with disabilities. At the time of our inspection the service was providing care and support to 70 people. 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
The provider had not always operated robust monitoring systems to ensure the effective management of record keeping, personal data and the timeliness of people’s care visits.
The provider had made improvements to how the service was managed and the care people received. These included improvements to risk management plans to help minimise the risk of harm to people, their care plans and care staff training.
People told us they felt safe and the majority of people found their care staff experienced, caring and capable. Some people felt new staff were less experienced and competent.
There were systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm. The provider recruited staff using safe recruitment processes.
Staff received supervision and training and felt supported by the registered manager and senior staff. Staff told us they enjoyed their work and were proud to work for the organisation.
People were supported to maintain their health and access healthcare services. Staff worked with other agencies to provide people with joined up care. People received their medicines as prescribed. There were arrangements in place for preventing and controlling infection.
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.
We have made recommendations about the systems and management of staff timeliness and data.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 5 November 2019) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.
Why we inspected
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 20 August 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment, person-centred care and good governance.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.
The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Unit 4, Bentinck Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.