About the service County Carers Ltd provides domiciliary care services to people within their own homes. This can include specific hours of required support or live in carers to help promote the person's independence and well-being.
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 to 45 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Recruitment processes were in place however they were not as robust as they should be, to ensure as far as possible, that people were protected from staff being employed who were not suitable.
The registered person did not use their quality assurance systems to monitor the running of the service, ensuring appropriate records were in place and ensure compliance with all the fundamental standards.
The registered person did not always maintain clear and consistent records to show their Duty of Candour responsibility was applied as per regulation.
People were protected from the risks of abuse and said they felt safe with the staff providing their support and care. The registered manager had the knowledge to identify safeguarding concerns and acted on these appropriately. Risks to people’s personal safety had been assessed and plans were in place to minimise those risks. Staffing levels supported people to stay safe while living as independent a life as possible. The registered manager scheduled visits, so the same staff went to see people to maintain continuity of care and support. People were informed about the changes to their visits as necessary. Medicines were handled correctly and safely.
People felt they received effective care and support from staff who knew them well and were well trained. The staff monitored people's health and wellbeing and took appropriate action when required to address concerns. People's rights to make their own decisions were protected. 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 treated with care, respect, kindness and their dignity were upheld. This was confirmed by people and their relatives who provided feedback. People were consulted about their care and support and could change how things were done if they wanted to. People's diverse needs were identified and met and their right to confidentiality was protected.
People confirmed they received care and support that was personalised to meet their individual needs. The registered manager and staff worked well together for the benefit of people and were focused on the needs of the people using the service.
The registered manager praised the staff team for their hard work and appreciated their contribution to ensure people received the best care and support. People benefitted from receiving care from staff who were happy in their work and felt well managed and supported. The registered manager encouraged feedback from people and families, which they used to make improvements to the service and protected people against the risks of receiving unsafe and inappropriate care and treatment.
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 February 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Enforcement
We have identified breaches in relation to regulation 17 and 19 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 at this inspection. Staff recruitment was not always robust; effective systems and governance overview were not used to ensure the service met the required fundamental standards of care.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
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.