Background to this inspection
Updated
11 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
One inspector completed this inspection.
Service and service type
This service 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.
Inspection activity started on 3 November 2021 and ended on 15 November 2021. We visited the office location on 3 November 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.
During the inspection-
We spoke with nine people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 10 members of staff including the registered manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider and spoke to staff to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with one professional who knew the service.
Updated
11 December 2021
About the service
Our Family Care is a domiciliary care agency based in Stowmarket, but has care rounds in Ipswich, Woodbridge as well as Stowmarket and surrounding villages. It provides personal care to adults with a range of support needs who are living in their own homes. There were 27 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, relatives and staff were all positive about their experiences with this new domiciliary care service. People told us that they had reliable support that was centred on them and gave them a better quality of life.
People said that they had a small group of staff that knew them, their situation and their support networks well. People felt safe and trusted the staff that supported them, because staff were well trained and respectful. Risks were appropriately assessed, which then lead to assessments being put into place to guide staff on how to keep people safe.
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.
No one had any complaints or concerns, but if they did were confident that the registered manager would listen and resolve matters. People knew of the registered manager and spoke highly of their dedication and visibility. There were systems in place to protect people from harm. Staff were trained in how to recognise and respond to abuse and understood their responsibility to report any concerns to the registered manager.
Care records were in the process of being transferred to another electronic system. This new electronic system had many functions and could also lead to better management oversight and monitoring of service delivery. This is the key area for this agency to develop before it grows bigger, because currently the agency had limited quality monitoring systems in place. This was a known risk to the registered manager, and they were actively working on an action plan prior to our visit that had timescales and actions already identified for development. The registered manager was committed to providing high quality care and the service worked well in partnership with others to ensure the best outcomes for people.
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 1 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection.
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.