Prompt Healthcare Staffing Limited

Updated 7 September 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on the 14 August 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

This inspection was carried out by an 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.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we already held about this service. This included details of its registration, previous inspection reports and notifications of significant events the provider had sent us. Due to technical problems, the provider was not able to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually 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 contacted the local authority who commissioned care from the service to seek their views.

We spoke with five people who used the service and five relatives. We spoke with five staff, the registered manager, administrative officer, care supervisor and two care assistants. We reviewed six sets of records relating to people, including care plans, risk assessments and medicines records. We looked at five sets of staff recruitment, training and supervision records. We read minutes of meetings and looked at policies and procedures. We examined the quality assurance and monitoring systems used by the service.

Updated 7 September 2018

This inspection took place on the 14 August 2018 and was announced. At the previous inspection of this service in March 2016 we did not find any breaches of regulations. However, as they only had one person using the service at that time, we found insufficient evidence to give the service a rating.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It is registered to provide a service to children 13-18 years old, people living with dementia, people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, people with mental health needs, older people, people who misuse drugs and alcohol, people with an eating disorder, people with a physical disability or sensory impairment and younger adults.

Not everyone using Prompt Healthcare Staffing receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. Thirty-seven people were receiving support with personal care at the time of our inspection.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Appropriate safeguarding procedures were in place and people told us they felt safe using the service. Risk assessments provided information about how to support people in a safe manner. There were enough staff working at the service to meet people's needs and robust staff recruitment procedures were in place. Staff had a good understanding about infection control issues and used protective clothing to help prevent the spread of infection. People were supported with medicines in a safe way.

The service carried out an assessment of people’s needs prior to the provision of care. This enabled the service to determine if it was a suitable care provider for each individual. Staff undertook an induction training programme on commencing work at the service and had access to regular on-going training to help them develop relevant skills and knowledge. Where people required support with meal preparation, they were able to choose what they ate and drank. The service operated within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The service supported people to access health care professionals and staff were aware of what to do if a person faced a medical emergency.

People were supported by the same regular care staff so they were able to build good relationships. People were treated in a caring and respectful manner by staff and were supported to maintain their independence. The right to confidentiality was taken seriously by the service and staff understood the importance of this.

Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people’s individual needs and these were subject to review. The service worked closely with other agencies to meet people’s needs in relation to end of life care. The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to make a complaint.

People and staff spoke positively about the registered manager. Systems were in place for monitoring the quality of support provided at the service. Some of these included seeking the views of people who used the service. The registered manager networked with other agencies to help develop their knowledge and to improve the quality of support provided to people.