JAC Community Care

Updated 7 November 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, one assistant 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 in the community.

The service had a manager 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

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.

Inspection activity started on 27 September 2019 and ended on 30 September 2019. We visited the office location on 30 September 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the Local Authority, professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During our inspection visit to the office we spoke with the nominated individual, the registered manager and three care staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also telephoned six people who use the service and four relatives to ask them about their experience of care and support provided by the service. We used this information to form part of our judgements.

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

Updated 7 November 2019

About the service

JAC Community Care is a service providing care and support to people in their own home. It provides a service to older adults and people with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support to 15 people. All the people using the service received the regulated activity of personal care.

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

People told us they felt safe with the care staff who supported them. Staff told us they would report any safeguarding concerns but did not consistently know external agencies. Risks to people had been assessed in relation to them as individuals. However, where people required the support of staff or equipment to mobilise, their care records did not contain guidance to direct staff how to safely support people. Although there was a recruitment process in place, we found that the process was not always followed, and pre-employment checks were inconsistent. People told us they were supported by consistently reliable staff who did not miss calls. People were supported, when required, to receive their medicines as prescribed. The registered manager told us they had not had any accidents or incidents so could not share any examples of learning with us.

People felt staff had the skills and experience to care for and support them. However, staff had not received refresher training as identified by the provider. People were supported where required to eat and drink sufficient amounts to remain healthy and were supported to access healthcare professionals when required. People told us staff obtained their consent before supporting them with care and support. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People told us staff were kind, friendly and caring. Staff supported people to maintain their independence and to remain involved in decisions about their care. People told us they were involved in their care planning and staff made sure they respected people's dignity and privacy.

People received personalised care from staff who knew their needs and wishes. Staff and the provider were responsive to people's individual needs and tailored the service where possible to support people. People knew who to make complaints to and were confident they would be listened to.

The registered provider did not have robust quality assurance systems or processes in place at the time of the inspection. They told us the service was very small and they did some of the care delivery themselves so had an overview of the service. However, there were no records or systems to verify any quality checks or audits. People told us they thought the service was well-led by approachable providers who went the extra mile to support them.

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. (Our last report was published on 28 October 2016.)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for JAC Community Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.