Agacia Care Ltd

Updated 2 August 2023

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 1 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

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses or 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 48 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.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we received about the service which the provider is required to tell us about, such as serious injuries or safeguarding concerns. 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 information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 8 December 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 4 people who used the service and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and the deputy manager. We obtained feedback from 3 care workers. We reviewed a range of records, including 3 peoples’ assessments and care records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including staff rotas, training and supervision records, audits, meeting notes and the service user guide were reviewed. We received feedback from 3 professionals who worked with the service.

Updated 2 August 2023

About the service

Agacia Care is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. 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. The service was providing personal care to 10 people at the time of the inspection.

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

People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm; staff had completed training in safeguarding and recognising signs of abuse. People and their relatives told us they felt safe with the service. One person said, “I feel very safe with my carers, they are like family to me.”

Medicines and infection control were managed, and lessons learned if things went wrong. Staff had been recruited safely and attended training to prepare them for their role. One member of staff said, “Great training resources which make me feel comfortable doing the job.”

Peoples’ needs were assessed, and person-centred care plans developed with them. Care workers had enough information to provide safe care for people. Staff had access to policies and procedures to guide them in their day-to-day work. Care plans were monitored and reviewed regularly.

People and their relatives spoke highly of the care workers, describing them as “Kind, compassionate, caring and friendly”. One person told us, “They are good, fun and never dull. I’m happy they are here.” A relative told us their relative was always happy to see them.

The registered manager was committed to providing a high-quality service and worked in partnership with other professionals, such as the local authority and primary health care services. One person said, “The manager calls me every couple of weeks to ensure everything is going well and whether I need any changes.”

Managers carried out appropriate checks to ensure that the quality of the service was continually reviewed and where necessary improved. People, relatives and staff told us the registered manager was approachable and supportive.

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.

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 21 March 2022 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the timescales for unrated services.

Follow up

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