Luminary Care Limited

Updated 18 July 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by an 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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

We visited the location’s office on 25 May and 5 June 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We used information gathered as part of monitoring activity which took place on 17 April 2023 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion which gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke to 6 people who use the service and/or their relatives. We spoke with management team including the registered manager, care co-ordinator and compliance manager. We contacted 9 support workers for their views.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people's care records and medication records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were also reviewed.

Updated 18 July 2023

About the service

Luminary Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 16 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 relatives said the service upheld their safety and they felt safe and comfortable when staff were supporting them. There were enough staff to cover everyone’s visits and to provide a contingency for any gaps. The provider made sure staff were suitable to work with people. People’s needs and risks to their well-being were assessed and recorded. The quality and detail of those care records was not always sufficient. We have made a recommendation about this.

People praised the staff for their care and kindness. They said staff were friendly and helpful. People and relatives said staff were reliable and on time. There was good continuity of care so they saw the same regular care staff members. Staff knew how to support each person in the way they preferred. The service was run in the best interests of the people who used it. Staff made sure people were treated with dignity and respect, and their privacy was protected.

Staff were trained and supported to carry out their job safely and effectively. People had confidence in staff’s abilities and competence. There was good communication between the management and people who used the service. The registered manager carried out spot checks and reviews to make sure people were satisfied with the care service they received.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Records about consent had not always been fully completed and the provider addressed this during the inspection.

The management team were open and approachable. Staff said they felt supported by the management team. The provider had governance system to check the quality of the service. However, some audits had not always identified the shortfalls to records found during this inspection. We have made a recommendation about this.

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 21 August 2020 but was dormant until it became operational on 1 November 2022. This is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection of a new service.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendations about risk assessment details and ensuring quality audits are sufficiently robust to identify shortfalls to records.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.