The Caring Choice Limited

Updated 2 September 2022

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 Act.

Inspection team

This inspection was completed by two inspectors 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 homes.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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 16 August 2022 and ended on 17 August 2022. We visited the service’s office on 16 August 2022.

What we did before the inspection

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. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and seven relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager.

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

Updated 2 September 2022

About the service

The Caring Choice Limited is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care to people in their own homes. The service mainly provides support to older people. At the time of our inspection there were 28 people using the service.

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 receive personal care, we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People were happy with the care and support they received. People were supported by staff who knew them well and had developed positive relationships with them. Staff respected people’s preferences and treated people with dignity and respect.

People felt safe when receiving care from the service. Some improvements were needed to ensure all risks to people were thoroughly assessed and mitigated. We have made a recommendation about risk assessment and management. Accidents and incidents were managed appropriately.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs at the right time. Staff turned up on time and delivered personalised care to each person. People received effective support with their medicines and there were suitable measures in place to prevent the spread of infections.

People’s needs were assessed to check the service was suitable for them. People were involved in this process and they were supported to remain involved in decisions about their care. 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.

Without exception, everyone told us the staff were kind and caring. People and their relatives described how staff were very good at communicating with them. The service was responsive to people’s needs and flexible if any changes were needed. People and their relatives knew how to complain or raise any issues about the service, if they needed to.

The service was managed by an experienced registered manager. Everyone told us the service was well-organised. Staff were supported to deliver high-quality care through training, spot checks and supervision. The registered manager and senior staff completed a range of checks on the quality and safety of the service to identify any areas where it needed to improve.

The service had an open, transparent culture. Staff enjoyed their jobs and were all keen to deliver a person-centred service. Staff worked alongside other professionals to help ensure people received effective care and support.

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 requires improvement (published 31 May 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation about risk assessment and management.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.