Kaplan Care

Updated 15 July 2022

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 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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was no registered manager in post. A new manager had started employment but had not yet applied to register. This meant that the provider was 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 24 hours’ 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 in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 12 April 2022 and ended on 19 April 2022. We visited the location’s office on 12 April 2022 and carried out day two of the inspection remotely on 13 April 2022. We carried out telephone calls with staff between 13 April and 19 April 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We requested feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. Healthwatch told us they had not visited the service or received any comments or concerns since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people and 10 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the nominated individual, the manager and support workers. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's care records and medicines records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, staff supervision and training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including checks and audits.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance, training records, policies and procedures.

Updated 15 July 2022

About the service

Kaplan Care is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of our inspection there were 15 older people using the service who required supported with their personal care. 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 could not be sure their prescribed medicines were always managed in a safe way. Staff supported people to complete personal care tasks and activities. However, people’s assessed needs were not set out in their care plans.

Individual risks were not always assessed and managed to keep people safe. Care plans and risk assessments were inconsistent and did not always detail the relevant information staff would need to meet people's assessed care and health needs. People could not be assured new staff were adequately checked to ensure they were suitable to work with people to keep them safe. We found no evidence that people had been harmed however, systems were either not robust enough to demonstrate staff recruitment was effectively managed.

Staff had not always received training to make sure they had the skills to meet people's specific care needs. Staff told us they felt well supported by the management team.

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.

The systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service were not robust or sufficient. No audits had taken place. Two weeks before the inspection a new manager had started work and had identified improvements that were required with the nominated individual. They had produced an action plan and had started to address the shortfalls. Registered persons had notified CQC of incidents and events such as abuse.

People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. The management team promoted an open culture to encourage staff to raise any concerns.

Where required, people were supported to ensure their dietary needs and preferences were met. Staff worked closely with occupational therapists and other agencies to assess people’s needs and to ensure people were supported with their changing needs.

Despite the concerns identified at the inspection, people said staff treated them with dignity and their privacy was respected. People were supported to be as independent as possible. People gave us positive feedback about their care and support. They told us, “So far, Kaplan Care have been excellent. We’ve had no issues at all”; “They always remember what you want”; “Everything is fine, the carer does what my mum asks. Having them is a weight off my mind” and “The staff are very thoughtful.”

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 15 July 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This is the service’s first inspection since registering with the Care Quality Commission.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to risk management, medicines management, safe recruitment, staff training, assessment of care and care planning, quality management systems and notification of events that require reporting to CQC.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.