Your Quality Care Services Limited (Gradwell)

Updated 15 September 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

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 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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 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.

We started monitoring the service on 27 July 2022. We gave notice of the inspection on 3 August and visited the location’s office on 4 August 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. As part of ongoing monitoring before the inspection we sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We spoke with two people and three relatives of people who were supported by the service. We also spoke with four care staff. 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.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and with the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with the clinical director. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care plans and associated risk assessments and medicines 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 audits, satisfaction surveys and policies and procedures were also reviewed. After the site visit day, we gathered additional evidence in relation to the care delivery people received and how the service was run and looked at another two care plans. We also received feedback from two health and social care professionals.

Updated 15 September 2022

About the service

Your Quality Care Services Limited (Gradwell) is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes.

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. At the time of the inspection, support was being provided to 24 people, 19 of whom received personal care. The service supports older people and younger adults.

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

People told us they felt safe with staff and the support provided. They felt able to contact the agency if they had any concerns. Staff told us management were approachable and they could report any concerns knowing action would be taken.

People were supported by a regular team of staff, who arrived on time and stayed for the allocated call time. They told us they would always be advised of any changes to the planned rota. There were systems to ensure medicines were managed safely.

Staff were recruited safety and received an induction and opportunities for regular training to ensure they could meet people’s needs. Staff received regular supervision, spot checks on their performance and had monthly staff meetings. This support was valued by all the staff.

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 and their relatives were involved in their care and support. Care plans provided staff with information about how people preferred to be supported and were regularly updated. People told us staff listened to them and provided care in line with their wishes. People and their relatives described staff as kind and caring.

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Records were kept up to date to ensure staff had the information they needed, including when people’s needs changed. Staff spoke positively about the management of the service and the support they received. A staff member told us, “I couldn’t work for a company that wasn’t giving it their all.”

People, their relatives and staff spoke highly of the registered manager. The agency had systems to carry out regular auditing. Surveys had been carried out to seek people’s views on how the agency could improve. People told us they had and would continue to recommend the agency to others who needed support. The registered manager had developed positive relationships with professionals who worked with them.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The provider was rated good at their last inspection of the service on 27 February 2020. Since then they have changed their location address and name but continue to operate as before.

Why we inspected

This was the first inspection of the service since the provider made changes to their registration.

Follow up

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