About the service Immediate Quality Care (IQC) LTD is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. They are registered to provide care to all adults including those who may be living with dementia and have disabilities.
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. At the time of the inspection the service was offering a service to 17 people, 15 of whom were receiving the registered service of personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Where there were risks to people’s safety and wellbeing, we found on most occasions these had been assessed. However, we found some instances where specific risks to people had not been assessed. Furthermore, assessment of identified risks was not always robust enough to keep people safe from harm and staff guidance was not always available.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; However, the policies and systems in the service did not always support this practice as some mental capacity assessments were not completed when a person lacked the capacity to make decisions about their care and treatment.
People and relatives were positive about the service they received from Immediate Quality Care (IQC) Ltd. They told us the care workers and the management team were professional and respectful. Care workers arrived on time and they confirmed the management team communicated well and responded appropriately if they raised concerns.
The provider assessed people prior to offering a service. These assessments informed person - centred care plans which included information and guidance for staff about people’s diverse support needs.
The provider ensured staff received training, supervision and support so they could carry out their caring role.
The management team undertook checks and audits of records, but these had not always identified the shortfalls we identified during our inspection.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
This service was registered with us on 21 October 2019 and this was the first inspection.
Why we inspected
We undertook this comprehensive inspection because the provider had not been inspected since they had registered with CQC.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe, effective and well-led sections of this full report.
Enforcement
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection.
We have identified breaches of two regulations, safe care and treatment and good governance.
We made a recommendation about further improvements required to ensure they work in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
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.