Invictus Care

Updated 4 May 2022

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

Inspection team

This 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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

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

Notice of inspection

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 30 March 2022 and ended on 14 April 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the date of registration. We sought feedback from Healthwatch England, the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.

We spoke with one person and one person's next of kin. We also spoke with the registered manager and one staff member. We reviewed one person’s care records and one staff member’s recruitment records. We reviewed a variety of quality monitoring records and policies. We contacted the provider on the 29 March 2022 to announce the inspection. Inspection activity started on 30 March 2022 and concluded on 14 April 2022.

Updated 4 May 2022

About the service

Invictus Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there was one person using the service.

Not everyone who uses a domiciliary care agency receives personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Staff were trained in safeguarding and had a good awareness of how to report any concerns. One person said staff made them feel safe as they were kind, patient, polite and had a good manner.

Risks in relation to health and wellbeing were assessed and staff understood what they were doing and how to identify and report any concerns. One person told us staff washed their hands regularly and always wore masks, gloves and aprons when supporting them which reduced any risks of infection and COVID-19.

The registered manager and staff team encouraged feedback including complaints and concerns. One person’s Next of Kin told us staff were approachable and any concerns got quickly resolved.

Care was personalised, and care review processes fully involved all relevant persons in the planning and review of their care. Staff provided medicines, meals and drinks correctly in-line with preferences and guidance.

The registered manager ensured all staff had been checked prior to employment to make sure they were suitable for their role and people would be safe. The registered manager and staff team followed all the current government guidance and legislation to make sure they were following best practice.

The person was supported to have maximum choice and control of their life 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.

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 15 July 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date the service was first registered with the CQC.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

This was an ‘inspection using remote technology’. This means we did not visit the office location and instead used technology such as electronic file sharing to gather information, and video and phone calls to engage with people using the service as part of this performance review and assessment.