Background to this inspection
Updated
30 December 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 carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
New Leaf Care 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. 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 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.
What we did before the 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. We reviewed information we had received about the service since registering with CQC and sought feedback from the local authority. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with the only two members of staff who were employed by the service at the time of the inspection; one was the registered manager who was also the director and nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with the other director, who, along with the registered manager was also providing care to people.
Updated
30 December 2021
About the service
New Leaf Care is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care and support to older adults. At the time of the inspection four people were receiving the regulated activity of 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
Staff had awareness of safeguarding and knew how to raise concerns. Steps were taken to minimise risks where possible. Risks to people's health and well-being were identified and monitored. Guidance was in place for staff on how to support people with these risks.
People’s needs were comprehensively assessed before starting with the service; people and their relatives had been involved in the care planning process. Staff had developed supportive relationships with people and knew them well; people received person-centred care as a result. Staff supported people to access healthcare professionals when required and supported some people to manage their medicines safely.
Systems were in place to recruit staff safely. Staff were competent and had the skills and knowledge to enable them to support people safely and effectively. Staff received the training and support they needed to carry out their roles effectively and received regular feedback; staff we spoke with confirmed this.
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.
Staff promoted people's independence and treated them with dignity and respect. People were involved in making decisions about their care and involved in reviews to ensure their care plans met their needs and supported them to achieve outcomes. People and their relatives were complimentary about the staff and their caring attitude.
People knew how to make a complaint. There was an effective complaints process in place to deal with any complaints that might be raised in the future. The registered manager and staff were committed to providing high quality care and support for people.
The service had an open and supportive culture. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of care delivered. The provider and registered manager followed governance systems which provided effective oversight and monitoring of the service. These governance systems and processes ensured the service provided to people was safe and effective.
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 3 August 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.
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.