Boyce Care

Updated 27 February 2018

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 was a comprehensive inspection and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed the registered manager to arrange visits for us to people’s homes with their permission. We also needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office.

The inspection site visit activity started on 7 February 2018 and lasted one day. It included visiting three people living in their homes and speaking to four staff at the homes. We also visited the office location on the 8 February 2018 date to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. The inspection team consisted of three inspectors.

The inspection was also informed by feedback from questionnaires completed by a number of people using services and staff working at the service.

Before the inspection we reviewed records held by CQC which included notifications, complaints and any safeguarding concerns. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. This enabled us to ensure we were addressing potential areas of concern at the inspection.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

In addition to visiting people in their homes we also spoke with one relative. At the office we spoke with the registered manager, the provider, the deputy manager, two people and four members of staff. We read care plans for three people, medicines records and the records of accidents and incidents, complaints and safeguarding. We looked at records of audits and surveys.

We looked at records of staff training and supervision. We looked at a selection of policies and procedures and health and safety audits. We also looked at minutes of staff meetings and evidence of partnership working with external organisations.

Updated 27 February 2018

Boyce Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses in the community. It provides a service to younger people with a learning disability. Some people also have a physical disability. Not everyone using Boyce Care receives 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 provides day care and live in care. At the time of our inspection the service provided a regulated activity to 16 people.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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. We were supported on the inspection by the registered manager and the senior management team.

There were appropriate numbers of staff available. People who required one to one care from staff always received this. People said that they felt safe. Staff ensured that people were protected against the risk of abuse and told us that they would not hesitate in reporting any concerns. Robust recruitment of staff took place before they started work.

Detailed risk assessments took place in relation to people’s individual needs. The environment was checked in relation to potential risks to people. In the event of an emergency there were plans in place to protect people. Accidents and incidents were acted upon and steps taken to reduce the risks.

People’s medicines were managed safely and appropriately by staff. People had access to pain relief when they needed it. People’s nutritional and hydration needs were managed to ensure they received the most appropriate care. People were supported to lead healthy lives.

People were supported and encouraged to eat healthily and had access to nutritious food. Health care professionals were involved with the care of people and people were supported to attend health care appointments. People’s needs were assessed fully before they started to receive care at the service.

Training and supervision were provided to staff which ensured that the most appropriate care was being provided to people. We saw through observations that staff were knowledgeable and effective in the care they provided. Staff were effective in sharing information in relation to peoples’s care.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) is a legal framework about how decisions should be taken where people may lack capacity to do so for themselves. Staff had received training around (MCA) and how they needed to put it into practice and staff were knowledgeable in this. There were people at the service who had the capacity to make decisions about their care and staff respected this. Where people were being restricted, applications were submitted to the local authority in line with the legal requirements.

Staff showed care and empathy towards people. It was clear that staff had good relationships with people and understood what was important to them. Staff showed patience, dignity and respect and people responded well to staff.

People received individualised care and were able to make choices around how they wanted their room to look and how they wanted their care to be delivered. People were supported to be independent and to make their own choices.

Care plans were detailed and specific to each person. There was guidance for staff on how best to provide the support people needed. Staff were aware of what care needed to be provided. People were supported to participate in activities that they enjoyed.

People were supported to make a complaint if they needed to. Complaints were investigated and improvements made where needed.

People and staff were complimentary of the management and the support they received. Staff worked well as a team and felt supported and valued.

Steps were taken to review the delivery of care with actions to make improvements. Methods the provider used included surveys, audits, staff meetings and spot checks.

Services that provide health and social care to people are required to inform the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of important events that happen in the service. The registered manager had informed the CQC of significant events including significant incidents and safeguarding concerns.

Further information is in the detailed findings below