Archived: CRS Doctors Limited

Updated 10 March 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out the inspection.

Service and service type

This service 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. The registered manager 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

This inspection was announced. We gave the service short notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 4 February 2020 and ended on 7 February 2020. We visited the office location on 4 February 2020.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. We sought feedback from the local authority. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke on the telephone with a relative of the person who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager, the administrator and a care worker.

We reviewed a range of records. This included one person’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 10 March 2020

About the service

CRS Doctors Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing support to people in their own homes in the community. 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 the inspection the service was providing personal care to one person.

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

The systems in place to manage medicines were not safe which placed people at risk of not receiving their medicines as prescribed. Risks to people were not always assessed and managed safely. The registered manager recognised improvements were needed and was taking action to address the issues we raised.

Leadership and oversight of the service needed to improve as staff sought direction and support from colleagues and relatives, rather than the registered manager. Staff did not always receive the training and support they required to fulfil their roles. There was a lack of quality assurance systems to monitor and check service delivery and those that were in place were not always effective. The manager told us they were taking action to address these matters.

Relatives were happy with the care provided to their family member. They were involved in planning and making decisions about their care. The person’s nutritional needs were met. Staffing was well organised and the person received their calls on time and staff stayed the full length of the call. Safe systems were in place to manage any allegations of abuse and complaints.

Relatives said the staff were brilliant. The person received support from a small team of staff who knew them well and had developed a good relationship with them. Support plans were in place, although some sections needed updating. Staff treated the person with respect and maintained their privacy and dignity.

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.

Staff were recruited safely, although some documents such as photographs, job descriptions and employment contracts were not present. The registered manager was taking action to address this.

The registered manager was aware improvements to the service were needed and demonstrated their commitment to making this happen.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 27 July 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement

We have identified three breaches at this inspection which relate to safe care and treatment, staff training and overall management of the service.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.