Archived: Carewatch (Lincoln)

Updated 21 June 2017

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 registered persons were 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.

Before our inspection visit to the service we reviewed any notifications of incidents that the registered persons had sent us since the last inspection. We asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider 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.

The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of this type of service. The inspection was announced. The registered persons were given 48 hours’ notice because they are sometimes out of the office supporting staff or visiting people who use the service. We needed to be sure that they would be available to contribute to the inspection.

During the inspection visit we spoke with the operational manager, the manager, the quality manager, a care coordinator and four care staff. We also reviewed a number of records in the service’s administrative office. These records related to how the service was run including visit times, medicines, staffing and training. In addition we looked at 12 care records and two staff files. After our inspection the expert by experience spoke by telephone with nine people who used the service and one relative.

Updated 21 June 2017

We completed this inspection on 18 May 2017. The inspection was announced.

Carewatch (Lincoln) provides care for people in their own homes. The service can provide care for adults of all ages. It can assist people who live with dementia or who have mental health needs. It can also support people who have a learning disability, special sensory needs or a physical disability. At the time of our inspection the service was providing care for approximately 300 people most of whom were older people. The service covered Lincoln City and Gainsborough including some villages in between for example Saxilby.

There was not a registered manager in post. The provider was in the process of registering a new manager with CQC. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

People did not always receive their visits at the times they expected. Communication with the office was not always effective.

Medicine records were completed to show that people had received their medicines.

Possible risks to people’s health and safety had been managed. Risk assessments and plans to manage the risks were usually in place.

Staff had the knowledge and skills they needed in order to care for people in the right way. A process was in place to monitor training and ensure staff were kept updated.

The registered persons and staff were following the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). This measure is intended to ensure that people are supported to make decisions for themselves. When this is not possible the Act requires that decisions are taken in people’s best interests.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect.

People had been consulted about the care they wanted to receive. Care was assessed in a consistent way. Records did not consistently reflect people’s care needs.

People had been consulted about the service. People knew how to complain. Staff were able to speak out if they had any concerns about poor practice.