Gill Care Services

Updated 12 January 2024

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 team consisted of 2 inspectors.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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

Notice of inspection

The inspection was announced. 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 who was also the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at the information we held about the service and asked for feedback from professionals about their experiences. The provider did not complete the required Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about the service, what it does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We asked to speak with people who used the service. However, the management told us they were unable to obtain permission from people for us to undertake this. We spoke with 3 relatives. We inspected 3 people’s care records including medicines administration records and associated documentation. We also checked 4 staff files, training records and information in relation to the operation and management of the service. We spoke with 6 staff. These included, 4 care support staff, the care co-ordinator and the registered manager who was also the nominated individual and director. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Updated 12 January 2024

About the service

Gill Care Services is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living with a dementia, older people or physical disability living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 14 people were in receipt of care from the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found

Staff had undertaken safeguarding training. However, the provider had failed to inform relevant authorities of a safeguarding concern. Individual risk assessments had not always been completed. Incident and accident records had been completed but would benefit from more details. There were no concerns found in relation to staffing and recruitment.

People were somewhat 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. A capacity assessment for 1 person where it was required was not completed until after day 1 of the inspection. Staff had completed training and supervision and competency checks had been completed. Care plans included information about people’s needs and preferences. Assessments of people’s needs had been completed and relatives told us they were informed of changes in people’s healthcare conditions.

People received good care and their individual needs were met. Feedback from relatives was positive about the care staff provided. Care records contained good information to support staff in providing people’s care. People were supported with activities if this was part of their care plan. People’s alternative ways of communicating were considered. The complaints procedure in the service user guide was not always detailed, in line with the provider’s policy.

Audits and monitoring were taking place. However, the provider was not consistently providing information in line with their regulatory responsibilities, and it was sometimes difficult to engage with the provider. The registered manager sought feedback from people and staff had the opportunity to discuss their experiences at team meetings. A range of policies were in place however, the service was not consistently making use of records and guidance in them to support the operation and oversight of 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 and update

The last rating for this service was good, published on 17 October 2019. Further focused inspections were published on 21 May 2021 and 30 September 2020. No changes to the overall rating were made at these inspections.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and to review ratings from the last inspections.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment and good governance.

We have also made recommendations in relation to ensuring the provider seeks nationally recognised guidance, to ensure systems are in place to assess risks and to ensure all people, where it was required were assessed in relation to their capacity to make decisions and choices. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow Up

We will request an action plan from 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 continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.