Updated 10 August 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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. The inspectors visited the office location on 23 and 30 June 2022. The Expert by Experience made telephone calls to people and their relatives on 27 June 2022. 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. CQC does not regulate premises used for domiciliary care; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support.
Registered manager
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 not a registered manager in post. The provider was overseeing the running of the service. A new manager had been recruited; but had not begun their role as registered manager at the time of our inspection visit. The new manager had applied for registration with CQC.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 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.
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 and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to the inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We asked the registered manager for the information contained in the PIR during the inspection visit. We used all this information to plan and conduct our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people who used the service and received feedback from nine people's relatives. We spoke with, or received email feedback from, six members of staff including senior care workers, the HR and care co-ordinator, the quality assurance manager and the provider.
We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people's care records and medication records. We reviewed three staff member's recruitment records to establish safe recruitment procedures were being followed. We looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.