SureCare Shropshire Limited

Updated 30 July 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. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This 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

SureCare Shropshire Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to older people, younger people with disabilities and people living with dementia. Not everyone using SureCare Shropshire Limited receives the 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.

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 five days’ notice of the inspection visit because we wanted to speak with people using the service. We needed the registered manager to contact people to ask their permission for us to speak with them.

Inspection site visit activity started on 10 May 2019 and ended on 15 May 2019. We visited the office location on 14 and 15 May 2019 to see the management team and staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did

Before our inspection we completed our planning tool and reviewed the information we held on the service. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people supported by the service and previous inspection reports. We also sought feedback from partner agencies and health and social care professionals.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us 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 of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection, we spoke with five people who received support from SureCare Shropshire Limited and seven relatives. We spoke with 14 members of staff including the managing director, deputy manager, staff in management and supervisory roles and care staff. We spoke with the registered manager before the inspection visit but they were on leave when we visited the office.

To gather information, we looked at a variety of records. This included care plan and medicine records related to two people supported by SureCare Shropshire Limited. We looked at information in relation to staff training and supervision records. We also looked at other information related to the management of the service including audits, surveys and meeting minutes. We did this to ensure the management team had oversight of the service and they could respond to any concerns highlighted or lead in ongoing improvements.

Updated 30 July 2019

About the service:

SureCare Shropshire Limited provides personal care and support to people in their own home. The agency provides care and support for older people, adults with disabilities and people who live with dementia. 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 visit, SureCare Shropshire Limited provided services to 111 people.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were at the very heart of the service. They told us the registered manager and staff were exceptionally helpful and supportive and excellent carers. They said they were extremely pleased with the care they received, and staff were respectful, considerate and extremely thorough. Staff were committed to delivering outstanding and inclusive personalised care. They strongly focused on supporting people’s diverse needs and preferences. They were aware of people’s individual preferences and had the skills, knowledge and ability to meet and exceed these. People frequently told us staff gave them care and support that was much more and far above what they expected. This included staff staying and chatting after their shift finished, helping with tasks difficult for the person supported and doing errands in their own time.

People said staff were very proactive and planned support in partnership with them. They told us they were encouraged to discuss their care and staff listened and made any adjustments. Senior staff regularly contacted people and urged them to discuss how their support could be improved. They acted promptly where areas of improvement were identified. People were supported to attend events organised by the service or activities they chose. The management team arranged social events including coffee mornings, social outings and fund-raising events. Transport was available, so people were able to attend if they wished. These events provided people with the opportunity to socialise and make friends and to renew old friendships. People told us they had information on how to make a complaint. People felt complaints or concerns were listened to and acted on promptly. Staff provided care that supported people to have a pain free and peaceful end of life and were passionate about making each person feel safe and comfortable.

The managing director and registered manager worked extremely effectively together and provided excellent leadership. They used a variety of methods to check the quality of the service and develop good practice. They focused on ways to increase the well-being of people they supported and the staff team. They worked closely and extremely effectively with other organisations and groups and shared information and learning with other professionals. They had piloted innovative projects developing best practice standards into their care. They were clear about their expectations relating to how care and support should be provided and led by example. Staff were aware and committed to the high standards expected of them.

People were supported by staff who had been recruited safely, effectively trained and supported and reliable. Systems were in place to safeguard people from abuse and people told us they felt safe with their carers and liked and trusted them. Senior staff had assessed risks and management strategies were in place. People said staff never missed visits and were rarely late. They told us staff managed their medicines safely and they received them at the times they needed them.

People said staff had the skills, knowledge and temperament needed to support them and were cheerful and competent. They told us staff supported them to eat and drink and helped them seek medical help if needed. We saw staff were prompt and in seeking advice or referrals when people were ill and supported people to attend healthcare appointments. They liaised effectively with health and social care professionals to ensure people’s health and well-being was maintained. The registered manager and staff team understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.

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

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection the service was rated good (published 11 August 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. We may inspect sooner if any issues or concerns are identified.