27 September 2022
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Citibase Slough is a domiciliary care agency providing care and support to people living in their own homes. 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 our inspection, nine people were receiving support with personal care.
The agency was the only location for Redbrick Care Limited, a private company.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Whilst the provider had assessed and planned for some risks relating to the health and care of people using the service, they had not assessed other risks. Where people had a healthcare condition, there was not always enough detail about this to ensure staff knew how to identify and reduce risks relating to these.
The provider had not always ensured risks were mitigated because they did not have detailed records in place regarding all aspects of managing the service.
People using the service and their relatives were happy with the care and support they received. They liked the staff who supported them and felt their needs were met. They were able to make decisions about their care.
The staff were well supported and had the training and information they needed to care for people safely.
The provider had made improvements throughout the service. These included better quality monitoring, improved record keeping and developing best practice. There were appropriate systems for dealing with and learning from complaints, incidents, accidents and safeguarding alerts.
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.
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 28 August 2021).
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. However, the provider remained in breach of some regulations where further improvements were still needed.
At our last inspection we recommended that the provider improve staff training and support, improve staff understanding of privacy, dignity and duty of candour and follow government guidance around preventing COVID-19 infections. At this inspection we found the provider had made improvements in all these areas.
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.
Enforcement and Recommendations
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 will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.
We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance at this inspection.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.