Everycare (Medway/Swale) Limited

Updated 13 November 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience (ExE) who made phone calls to people and their relatives. An ExE is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The ExE had experience working with older people.

Service and service type:

Everycare 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 visit because the manager is often out of the office. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Inspection site visit activity took place on 15 October 2019. We visited the office location to see the manager and office staff; and to review care and management records.

What we did:

Before inspection: We reviewed the information the provider sent to us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). 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 also reviewed information we held about the service which included notifications of events and incidents at the service.

During inspection:

We looked at four care files, seven people’s medication administration record sheets, four staff files, quality assurance reports and other records relating to the management of the service including incidents and accidents records. We spoke with two people using service, seven relatives, the registered manager, three support workers and the training coordinator.

Updated 13 November 2019

About the service:

Everycare (Medway/Swale) is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes in the community. 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 our inspection, 27 people were receiving personal care from the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

There were enough staff available to deliver safe support to people. People received their medicines safely. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew of actions to take to protect people from abuse. Risks to people were managed effectively to reduce harm to them. Lessons were learned from incidents and accidents. Staff followed infection control procedures to reduce risks of infection.

Staff assessed people’s needs following best practice guidance. People were supported to meet their nutritional and hydration needs. Staff supported people to access health and social care services to maintain good health. Staff liaised with other services to ensure people’s care and support were effectively planned and delivered.

Staff were supported to be effective in their roles. Staff were inducted into their roles; and received regular training, supervisions and annual appraisals. Staff and the registered manager understood their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. People consented to their care before it was delivered.

People were given choice and control over their care and support. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. People were supported to promote and maintain their independence. Staff communicated with people in the way they understood, and people were given information in formats they understood.

People received support to meet their individual needs. People’s care plans were reviewed and updated regularly to reflect their current needs. Staff treated people as individuals and promoted their religious, cultural beliefs and other protected characteristics.

There was a complaints procedure available. People and their relatives knew how to complain if they were unhappy with the service. The registered manager addressed complaints received in line with their procedure. The views of people were sought and used to improve the service. Quality checks and audits took place. Actions were taken to rectify areas of concerns identified. The provider worked in partnership with other organisations to develop the service. The registered manager met their statutory responsibilities to the CQC.

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating for this service was Good (published 13/04/2017).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to review information we receive about the service until we return to visit as part of our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

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