CAS Care Solutions

Updated 30 November 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

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a domiciliary care agency 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 6 September 2022 and ended on 28 October 2022. We visited the location’s office on 6 September 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection.

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 used information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 9 August 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the nominated individual. 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 three people’s care records and multiple medicines records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, training data and quality assurance records were reviewed. We spoke over the telephone with five relatives of people who used the service and with four staff including a care coordinator and three care workers. We received feedback from two health professionals who had regular contact with the service.

Updated 30 November 2022

About the service

CAS Care Solutions is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 30 people using the service and all were receiving personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We have made a recommendation about record keeping and audit systems.

The provider was promoting a positive culture within the service and achieving good outcomes for people. We received positive feedback overall from people’s relatives, staff and external health professionals. A relative said, “It has been very good, very organised from the beginning…very supportive.” A health professional told us, “I can only stress how impressed I have been with this company’s care, compassion and professionalism.” Staff told us they felt valued and respected.

There was a clear management structure and staff were aware of the provider’s values, aims and objectives. Staff were encouraged to express their opinions about how the service could develop. They told us the provider supported staff development and career progression as well as work-life balance. The provider carried out surveys to gather feedback from people who used the service, staff and external professionals.

Feedback from relatives confirmed they felt people received safe care. Staff understood the procedures for keeping people safe and knew how to recognise signs of potential harm or abuse. Staff were confident appropriate action would be taken if they raised any concerns. Risk assessments were undertaken and provided guidance for staff about steps to take to minimise any risk when providing care.

Care plans contained information about people’s medicines and the support they required to take them. The provider was going to review some aspects of the medication system to ensure any changes or procedures were clear. There were appropriate policies and procedures in place to control the spread of infection.

Staff were deployed in sufficient numbers and were provided with an induction, training and ongoing support to meet people’s needs. Relatives confirmed care workers turned up when people were expecting them to. Staff told us the service “Get the right mix regarding staff and clients.” The provider told us that staff recruitment was a challenge currently and so they had not been taking on new clients to ensure the service was not overstretched.

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 provider completed detailed assessments before confirming that they could meet people’s needs. People were involved in planning their care to meet their needs and preferences. People’s care plans focused on them as individuals. Staff spoke respectfully about people and in the way they described supporting people to maintain dignity and independence.

Records showed concerns and complaints were investigated and responded to by the provider in line with their policy and timescales.

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 17 November 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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