Background to this inspection
Updated
19 October 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.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
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
Our inspection was announced and took place on 30 September 2019. We gave the provider 72 hours' notice because the service is small and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
Before the inspection, we reviewed relevant information that we had about the service including any notifications of incidents affecting the safety and wellbeing of people. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to tell us about by law.
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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with the registered manager, a finance manager and one member of care staff. We reviewed documents and records that related to people’s care and the management of the service. We reviewed one care plan and three staff recruitment files. We also looked at staff training records, audits, rotas and the provider’s procedures and policies.
After the inspection
We spoke with one person who used the service by telephone, for their feedback. We continued to seek further evidence and clarification from the provider, which we have included in the report.
Updated
19 October 2019
About the service
AKAIN Safe Care provides personal care to older people, aged 65 or over, living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, the service provided care to a small number of people. 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us the service was safe. There were procedures to protect people from abuse. Risks associated with people’s needs were assessed and monitored. Spot checks of staff took place to ensure they followed safe working practices. There was a procedure to review and analyse accidents and incidents in the service and learn lessons from them. Staff knew how to prevent and control infections. Staff were recruited appropriately and their backgrounds were checked before they started working for the service.
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 were supported with maintaining their health and nutrition. The service could contact health care professionals, if they had concerns about people’s health. Staff were supported with an induction and ongoing training and development to maintain their skills and knowledge.
Staff were respectful and caring towards people. Staff understood the importance of promoting equality and diversity. Staff knew how to communicate with people, which helped develop positive relationships with them.
People’s care plans were personalised and people were involved in decisions made about their care and support. People were encouraged to maintain their independence and socialise in the community.
People knew how to make a complaint about the service. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and other senior staff. Quality assurance systems included obtaining feedback from people and relatives. The registered manager was committed to developing and making continual improvements to the service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 14 November 2017 and this was the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on when the provider first started to provide support to people since registering with us, which was in April 2019.
Follow up
We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.