Archived: ExcelCare24

Updated 28 August 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 was planned to check 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 inspection took place on 05 August 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care services and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in.

The inspection team comprised of one inspector.

Before this inspection we reviewed all the information we held about the service, including data about safeguarding and statutory notifications. Statutory notifications are information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We spoke with the local authority and Clinical Commissioning Group to gain their feedback as to the care that people received.

We spoke with three people who used the service. We also spoke with the provider, the registered manager and one member of care staff.

We looked at all three people’s care records to see if they were accurate and reflected people’s needs. We reviewed staff recruitment files, recruitment procedures and training records. We also looked at further records relating to the management of the service, including quality audits in order to ensure that robust quality monitoring systems were in place.

Updated 28 August 2015

ExcelCare24 provides care and support for adults in their own homes and local community. On the day of our visit the service provided support for three people in their own homes. The service has been providing care to people for approximately four months at the time of our visit.

This inspection was announced and took place on 05 August 2015.

The service had a registered manager. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff protected people from harm or abuse. They understood the principles of safeguarding and were knowledgably about reporting procedures.

Systems were in place to manage risks to people, whilst promoting their independence.

Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’ needs and protect them from harm. Recruitment processes were robust and ensured that staff were of good character to work with vulnerable people.

There was training and support available to staff to ensure they had the skills and knowledge they needed to support people effectively.

Staff helped people to prepare food and drink if required.

People were supported to access healthcare professionals and appointments when they needed to.

Staff treated people with kindness and compassion and developed positive, caring relationships with them.

People were involved in planning their own care. They had been consulted to ensure their care plan reflected their own views and opinions. Care plans were reviewed with people and they had also been provided with sufficient information about the service.

People were treated with dignity and respect by staff who also worked to uphold their privacy.

Care was personalised and tailored to meet each person’s specific needs and wishes. Staff had also taken time to get to know the people they supported. As a result they knew and understood them and their needs well.

The service welcomed feedback, including complaints, from people and their families to help develop the care they provided. There were systems in place to track and monitor feedback received.

There was a positive and open culture at the service. The registered manager and provider were open and provided information about the service readily.

There was clear and effective management at the service. The registered manager had a clear plan for the future development of the service and they were well supported by the provider.

There were systems in place to conduct quality assurance checks and audits. This meant that the registered manager could monitor the care which was being delivered and take steps to ensure people received high-quality care.