Serenity Always Health Care

Updated 14 December 2022

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 completed by an 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 and 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 the provider was also the registered manager.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period 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 information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection we spoke with 4 people who used the service and 5 relatives. We also spoke with 5 members of staff including the provider, team leader, senior care worker and care workers. We reviewed 3 people’s care and medicines records and 2 staff recruitment files. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to training and the oversight of the service.

Updated 14 December 2022

About the service

Serenity Always Health Care is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care to people living in their own homes. 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. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care support to 9 people.

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

People were not always supported on time by staff as staff did not have enough traveling time between people's care calls. People were supported by trained staff however staff's understanding of safeguarding and the MCA could be improved. Quality assurance tools had not identified concerns we found around staff rotas and training.

People felt safe and were supported by safely recruited staff. People had care plans and risk assessments in place which explored their needs and preferences. Staff knew people well and were meeting their needs. People were supported to receive their medicines as prescribed. People were supported in line with infection control guidance.

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 were supported to eat and drink in line with their needs and preferences. People had end of life care plans in place.

People were supported to access health and social care professionals where they required these. People were supported by staff they described as 'caring' and 'kind'. People were supported to maintain their privacy and dignity. People were supported to maximise their independence.

People and their relatives knew how to complain. The provider responded promptly to concerns raised about the service. The provider had quality assurance tools in place in relation to medicines and care plans which identified where improvements were required and took action to make improvements.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 18 March 2021). At this inspection we found improvements had been made but the rating remained requires improvement. The service has been rated as less than good on four consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the management and oversight of the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the well led section of this full report.

Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

At this inspection we made recommendations around staff training in relation to safeguarding.

Follow up

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