Meridian Health and Social Care - Leeds

Updated 8 September 2022

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

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.

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 not a registered manager in post. However, there was a manager in post who had started their role recently and was in the process of submitting an application to register.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service 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. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. Inspection activity started on 26 July 2022 and ended on 9 August 2022. We used technology such as video calls with management and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation. We spoke with one person who used the service and seven relatives about their experience of the care provided and six care workers via the telephone.

We reviewed a range of records. This included people’s care records, medication records and daily records. We looked at recruitment procedures and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including incidents and policies were reviewed.

Updated 8 September 2022

About the service:

Meridian Health and Social Care is a domiciliary care service care providing support to older adults in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, there were 49 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:

People told us they felt safe. Staff understood safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures. There were sufficient staff employed to meet people’s needs. There was a safe recruitment process, which ensured only staff suitable to work with vulnerable adults were employed. Accidents and incidents were monitored. Risks to people were identified and assessments were in place to ensure staff knew how to manage risks and meet people’s needs. People were protected by the prevention and control of infection. Medication systems were in place to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed. These were being improved at the time of our inspection as the quality monitoring system had identified some errors in documentation. Care staff and management were aware of correct systems to follow.

Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about people’s needs. Staff had received effective training to ensure their knowledge was up to date. Staff were supervised and supported. Care plans and supporting documentation included people’s individual preferences and choices. 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.

People we spoke with told us staff were extremely kind and caring. Relatives we spoke with were positive about the care and support provided. Staff understood people’s needs and people we spoke with told us the staff were excellent and provided support that met their needs. Relatives felt listened to and said concerns were appropriately dealt with and resolved. Relatives told us the communication was good and the manager was very approachable.

There was a quality monitoring system in place that was effective. Feedback from staff was very positive. They told us they were well supported and worked well as a team.

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 12 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 13 September 2017.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection.

Follow Up:

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