Social Care Consortium

Updated 4 November 2022

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 one inspector and one Expert 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

Social Care Consortium is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

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 not a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We carried out the inspection visit on 18 October 2022.The provider was given 48 hours' notice because the registered manager can be out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be available.

Inspection activity started on 15 October 2022 and ended on 21 October. We visited the location’s office on 18 October 2022.

What we did before the inspection We reviewed the information we held about the home which included statutory notifications and safeguarding alerts and the Provider Information Return (PIR), which the provider completed before the inspection. The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

During our inspection we went to the service's office and spoke with the registered manager, the operations manager and four care staff. We looked at four people’s care records and three staff records; we also looked at various documents relating to the management of the service. After the inspection visit, we spoke to four relatives and three people who used the service.

Updated 4 November 2022

About the service

Social Care Consortium is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to older adults living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 50 people using the service and were receiving personal care.

Not everyone who used the service received 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

People told us people they were extremely happy with the care and support they received because they felt safe and all their needs were met by kind and caring staff.

People had access to healthcare services and were involved in decisions about their care. Partnerships with other agencies and health professionals enabled effective outcomes for people. Staff supported people to take medicines safely.

People's care was planned and risks to their safety and wellbeing were assessed. The agency reviewed these plans regularly, involving people in these reviews and asking for their opinions. They delivered good quality care which had led to improvements in people's health and well-being.

Staff had completed safeguarding training and understood their role in identifying and reporting any concerns of potential abuse or poor practice.

People and staff praised the managers of the service and agreed that they were approachable, knowledgeable, fair and did their job well. The staff team worked well together and supported the manager.

The staff team was committed to providing a high-quality service. They had undertaken training so that they were skilled and knowledgeable to effectively meet people’s needs. Staff understood their responsibilities to report any concerns.

Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and respected people’s privacy and dignity.

People were given choices about the way in which they were cared for. Staff listened to them and knew their needs well. Care plans contained information about each person’s individual support needs and preferences in relation to their care and support.

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.

Recruitment practices were safe and relevant checks had been completed before staff worked at the service.

People confirmed the service did not miss any care calls and that staff were usually on time.

People received care and support from a small group of staff, which provided consistency.

The managers of the service actively sought the views of people and their relatives about the running of the service and they dealt promptly with any concerns that people raised.

The provider had systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided. There was a positive culture throughout the service. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and felt valued.

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More information is in the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection we rated this service Good. The report was published on 5th October 2018.

Why we inspected

We carried out a focused inspection of this service on 18 October 2022. This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well Led.

Follow up

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