Background to this inspection
Updated
7 May 2015
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
This was an announced inspection and took place on 6 March 2015. 48 hours’ notice of the inspection was given because the service is a domiciliary care agency and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.
The inspection was carried out by an inspector.
Before the inspection, we checked notifications made to us by the provider, safeguarding alerts raised regarding people using the service and information we held on our database about the service and provider.
There were 19 people receiving a service. During the inspection, we spoke with two people using the service; others either did not answer the telephone or declined to comment. We also spoke to four relatives and three staff who provided direct care and the registered manager.
During our visit we looked at copies of three care plans that were kept in the office as well as on site. We also looked at records, policies, procedures and spoke with staff. Information also included needs assessments, risk assessments, feedback from people using the service, relatives, staff training, supervision and appraisal systems and quality assurance.
Updated
7 May 2015
This was an announced inspection that took place on 6 March 2015.
The service provides live in care for people in their own home. This is the first inspection since registration.
There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People said the service provided was good. They were satisfied with the service and thought it felt safe, was effective, caring, responsive and well led.
The records were kept up to date and covered all aspects of the care and support people received their choices and identified and met their needs. They contained clearly recorded, fully completed, and regularly reviewed information that enabled staff to perform their duties well.
Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported, the care they required and got support from the agency to provide it. They had appropriate skills and provided care and support in a professional, friendly and supportive way that was focussed on the individual. The staff were well trained and said the organisation was flexible, a good one to work for and they enjoyed their work. They had access to training, and support.
People were encouraged to discuss health and other needs with staff and had agreed information passed on to their GP’s and other community based health professionals, as required. They were protected from nutrition and hydration associated risks with balanced diets that also met their likes, dislikes and preferences. People were positive about the choice and quality of the service provided. They said the manager was approachable, responsive, encouraged feedback from them and consistently monitored and assessed the quality of the service provided.