About the service Daniel's Special Care Ltd is a domiciliary care service and was providing personal care to 24 people on the day of the inspection. The service can support both younger and older adults, people living with dementia, people with a physical disability and people with a learning disability.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People reported they were well supported by care staff who understood the infection control processes they needed to follow during the COVID-19 pandemic. People told us staff wore all the personal protective equipment (PPE) required when they provided their care. One person commented, “We have no concerns at all. Honestly and truthfully say they do everything they are supposed to do” and another said, “They couldn’t do a better job. All most fastidious.”
The registered manager had completed a risk assessment to ensure the safe delivery of the service during the COVID-19 pandemic, which they had reviewed and updated. The registered manager had completed risk assessments for staff at higher risk from contracting COVID-19, for example, those from a Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) background in order to identify any required safety measures.
Staff had been provided with relevant online training and written guidance in relation to COVID-19, infection control, PPE use and hand hygiene. Staff told us ample PPE was provided and we saw there was plenty. Staff understood what they were required to wear.
Staff spoken with understood the symptoms of COVID-19 and their responsibilities if they developed COVID-19 symptoms. Processes were in place to monitor staff's understanding and ongoing adherence to the infection control requirements. The registered manager had ordered and distributed COVID-19 test kits to staff, which they were expected to complete weekly.
Staff followed national guidance when people were discharged from hospital into the community. They treated people as COVID-19 positive until the outcome from their test was received.
Processes were in place to reduce contact between staff, such as online meetings and office staff worked on a rota in the office to control the number of staff present. Office staff were seen to observe social distancing requirements and to wear the correct PPE.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 11 February 2020).
Why we inspected
We undertook this targeted inspection due a specific concern we had received about infection control practices at the service. The overall rating for the service has not changed following this targeted inspection and remains requires improvement.
CQC have introduced targeted inspections to follow up on Warning Notices or to check specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.