Extra Care Team 1

Updated 12 January 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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. The Expert by Experience made telephone calls to people who used the service and their relatives to gain their views about the service they received. 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.

The registered manager had left the service since the last inspection. A new manager was in post and was awaiting an interview with CQC to support their application for registered manager status. A registered manager 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 we wanted to be sure the registered manager would be available.

Inspection activity started on 3 December 2021 and ended on 14 December 2021. We visited the office location on 8 December 2021.

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. 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 five people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the manager, two team leaders and three care staff.

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

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, quality assurance records and other records relating to the running of the service.

Updated 12 January 2022

About the service: This service provides care to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing and night-time care to people in their own homes. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care service.

The service provided personal care to 66 people at the time of the inspection.

The care is provided by two teams of staff. One team deliver day-time care to people living in the extra care housing facility between 7.30am and 9.30pm and the Out of Hours team, delivered night-time care to people living in their own homes and people living in the extra care housing where needed.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe and staff knew what to do if they thought someone was at risk. People were involved in assessing and evaluating risks to their health and welfare. Safe recruitment processes were in place to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Systems were in place to make sure there were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. Infection prevention and control (IPC) systems were in place to reduce people’s risk of infection, including COVID-19. Medicines were managed safely.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and promoted independence. People were involved in developing and reviewing their care plans.

Staff received induction training and followed a programme of continuous learning. Staff said they had been supported to complete alternative forms of training during the pandemic and had received support through regular supervision sessions with their team leaders. People’s needs were assessed, and care and support were regularly reviewed.

Feedback we received from people who used the service and their relatives was complimentary about all staff. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and consulted people regarding what they wanted.

Systems were in place to make sure the service complied with the Accessible Information Standards.

People’s care records documented the level of care and support required. They were up to date and were regularly reviewed. All concerns were responded to appropriately.

People said staff had been supportive in helping them to keep in touch with family and friends during the pandemic. People said staff made time to chat with them. One said they had “Gone the extra mile” to support them.

People and their relatives spoke highly of the management of the service. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. People were provided with the opportunity to feedback on the service they received, and any suggestions for improvement were welcomed. The service worked well in partnership with others to ensure the best outcomes for people.

Rating at last inspection: The last rating for this service was Good (published 11 April 2019).

Why we inspected:

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk