Background to this inspection
Updated
15 December 2021
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
This inspection was announced. 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 5 October 2021 and ended on 18 October 2021. We visited the office location on 18 October 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed the information we had received about the service within the last 12 months. We sought feedback from the local authority quality team, safeguarding team 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.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with two relatives about the experience of care their family member received. We spoke with four members of staff including care staff, the registered manager and nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records. We looked at two 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.
After the inspection
We requested information to gain feedback about how the provider worked in partnership with other healthcare professionals.
Updated
15 December 2021
About the service
Energize Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people who live in their own homes. They were providing personal care to two people at the time of inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Risk assessments were not always reflective of people’s needs. We found this to be a breach of regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
Quality assurances systems were either not in place or robust enough. An accurate and complete record was not kept for each service user. This placed people at risk of harm. This was a breach of regulation 17 (good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
We have made a recommendation about a system being put in place to document people’s involvement with their care and to evidence when Lasting Powers of Attorney are in place.
Overall 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. People and/or their relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care.
Procedures were in place for reporting concerns, safeguarding matters, accidents, incidents and complaints. However, at the time of the inspection there had been no matters to report. Currently the main overview and quality assurance of the service was through the registered manager and nominated individual delivering care and support alongside staff.
The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities in relation to the duty of candour and when to submit notifications to the CQC.
The service did not currently administer medicines to people. However, they did apply topical creams. This was clearly documented.
Safe recruitment practices were followed. Staff received appropriate support, training and supervision.
People were treated with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
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 20 June 2018 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe, responsive and well-led sections of this full report.
The provider responded immediately during and after the inspection. They confirmed they would review all care needs, care plans and risk assessments to make sure they covered all aspects of people’s care. The provider told us they were in the process of putting a quality assurance system in place to have oversight of the service.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.