Background to this inspection
Updated
20 July 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 an inspector and two Experts by Experience. 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
Sagecare (Wigan) is a domiciliary care agency, providing personal care and support to older people and children who live in their own homes.
The service had a manager registered with CQC. This means that they and the registered 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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 16 June 2021 and ended on 22 June 2021. We visited the office location on 16 June 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 and professionals who work with the service. 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 23 people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with twelve members of staff including the area manager, registered manager, two care coordinators, two administrators and six care staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included electronic care records and multiple medication records. We looked at five 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 continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We contacted with two professionals who regularly visit the service to gain their feedback.
Updated
20 July 2021
About the service
Sagecare (Wigan) is a domiciliary care agency, providing personal care to 271 older people and children living in their own homes in the Standish area of Wigan. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects services where people receive personal care. They receive help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating; we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Since the previous inspection, improvements had been made to recruitment systems and the staff files now included all required documentation. There were still some issues with staffing levels at weekends, but the service managed to cover the calls and was continuing to recruit more staff to address this. The registered manager had implemented regular one to one supervisions and staff were now having these on a regular basis. Training and development needs were identified and all required training had been completed by staff and refreshers were on-going.
The service had systems in place to help safeguard people from abuse and staff had completed appropriate training. People told us they felt safe with the care staff who visited. Individual risks were thoroughly assessed and managed by the service. Medicines were managed safely. Staff were aware of the processes to prevent and control the spread of infection. All staff were following the guidelines in place due to COVID-19.
People’s care needs were thoroughly assessed and their care plans included relevant health and personal information. People’s individual needs, preferences and choices were taken on board. The service supported people to maintain a healthy and nutritious diet and worked with other agencies to ensure good, joined up care.
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.
The management team demonstrated an understanding of quality assurance and regulatory requirements. The service engaged with people via telephone reviews and quality monitoring.
The service took learning and improvement from the results of audits, which were undertaken regularly. Complaints were dealt with in a timely and appropriate way and the service had received a number of compliments.
Staff felt the management team were supportive and communication was effective. Observations of staff practice were now being completed regularly. Staff spoke positively about their roles and felt morale had improved due to the new management structure.
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 requires improvement (published 4 March 2020) and there were two breaches of regulation.
The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.
The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Sagecare (Wigan) on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.