Background to this inspection
Updated
19 October 2019
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
The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an assistant inspector.
Service and service type
This service provides personal care to people living in their own homes within the community.
The service had two managers registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they 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 48 hours’ 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.
The inspection activity started on 18 September 2019 by conducting telephone interviews with staff. We visited the office on 19 September and carried out further telephone calls to people using the service, relatives and staff on the 20 and 23 September 2019.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information received by the Care Quality Commission from the service. We also reviewed notifications received from the service, this is information about important events, which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We sought feedback from commissioners and used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with one person and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff, the registered manager, the care co-ordinator and the recruitment and operations manager.
We reviewed a range of records. They included four people’s care records and relevant medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. Also, a variety of other records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures and quality assurance monitoring records.
Updated
19 October 2019
About the service
ExcelCare24 is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community.
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 the inspection the service was providing personal care to 32 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received safe care and were protected against avoidable harm, neglect and discrimination. Risks to people’s safety were assessed, staff were aware of the risks, and care plans detailed how they were to be appropriately managed.
Staff were appropriately recruited, and staff were deployed in enough numbers to meet people’s assessed needs. Where the provider took on the responsibility, people's medicines were safely managed. Systems were in place to control and prevent the spread of infection.
People had good relationships with staff. People were supported to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their care. Staff maintained people’s privacy and dignity and treated people with respect.
People’s needs, and choices were assessed. Staff received induction training and ongoing training and support that enabled them to further develop their skills and knowledge to provide effective care.
People were supported to maintain good nutrition and hydration. Staff supported people to access healthcare services when required.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People and their families were fully involved in the care planning and reviews of their care. The provider had a complaints procedure which was accessible to all people using the service. Complaints were responded to appropriately.
Quality assurance systems were used to monitor all aspects of the service delivery to continuously drive improvement of the service.
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 25 April 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.