Olney Care Services Limited

Updated 9 August 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 was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Olney Care Services 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. This was because 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 information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We looked at statutory notifications about incidents and events the provider must notify us about. We also sought feedback from other professionals who work with the service. We took this information into account when we inspected the service and used all the information to plan this inspection.

During the inspection:

We spoke with 10 people who used the service and three people’s relative. We also spoke with six members of staff that included the registered provider/manager, the service manager and four care and support staff. We looked at various records, including care records for six people who were using the service. We also examined records in relation to the management of the service such as staff recruitment files, quality assurance checks, staff training and supervision records, safeguarding information and accidents and incident information.

Updated 9 August 2019

About the service:

Olney Care Services is a domiciliary care agency. The service provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community. At the time of our inspection 69 people were receiving personal care.

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.

People’s experience of using this service:

People valued their relationships with staff and felt they often went ‘the extra mile’ which made them feel valued. Staff treated people with extreme kindness, compassion and respect. People were supported to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their care. Staff were highly motivated and expressed determination to overcome any obstacles so that people could achieve exceptional outcomes. People were fully supported to express their views and be involved, in making decisions about how they wanted their care to be provided. Staff completely always maintained people’s privacy and dignity and treated them with respect.

People received safe care and were protected against avoidable harm, neglect and discrimination. Risks to people’s safety were assessed and strategies were put in place to reduce the risks. Staff were appropriately recruited and there were enough staff to provide care and support to people to meet their needs.

Where the provider took on the responsibility, people's medicines were safely managed. Systems were in place to control and prevent the spread of infection.

People’s needs, and choices were assessed before they received a care package. Staff received an induction and ongoing training that enabled them to have the skills and knowledge to provide effective care.

People were supported to maintain good nutrition and hydration. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and access healthcare services when required.

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 families were fully involved in the care planning and reviews of their care. The provider had a complaints procedure which was accessible to people using the service. This was used effectively when complaints were received by the service.

The service had good governance systems in place to ensure all aspects of the service delivery were continuously assessed and monitored. The service worked in partnership with outside agencies.

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating for this service was Good. The last report was published on 24 March 2017.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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