Skies Home Care Ltd

Updated 20 May 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 two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

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 28 April 2021 and ended on 29 April 2021. We visited the office location on 28 April 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

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 five members of staff including the registered manager, office manager, senior care worker and care workers. We reviewed a range of records which included risk assessments and care records for three people who used the service. We also reviewed three staff files in relation to recruitment, accident and incident records, contingency plans and monitoring records.

After the inspection

We spoke with one person who received care and support from Skies Homecare Ltd about their experience and two family members. We received feedback from three professionals whom the service regularly engages with. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found

Updated 20 May 2021

About the service

Skies Home Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older people, people living with dementia and younger adults. At the time of our inspection there were seven people using the service.

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 and what we found

People told us they felt safe. There were safeguarding adults procedures in place to guide staff. The registered manager and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. There were appropriate recruitment checks before staff started work and there were enough staff available to meet people's care needs. Where required people received safe support from staff to take their medicines.

The provider and staff were following government guidance in relation to infection prevention and control. Staff had received training on COVID-19 and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The service had business continuity and COVID-19 contingency plans in place that made provisions for safe care in the event of an emergency, or an outbreak of COVID-19.

The provider carried out an assessments of people's care needs before they started using the service to ensure staff could support them safely. Staff had received training and support relevant to people's needs. Where required, people received support to maintain a balanced diet. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and their relatives told us they were treated in a caring and respectful manner and they had been consulted about their care and support needs. No complaints were made to the service but people we spoke with knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy with the service. People had access to end of life care and support if it was required.

There were effective systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service people received. Staff said they received good support from the registered manager. The registered manager took people and their relatives views into account through satisfaction surveys and their feedback was used to improve the service. The registered manager and care staff worked with health care professionals to plan and deliver an effective service.

Why we inspected

This service was registered with us on 10 November 2019 and this is the first inspection of Skies Home Care Ltd.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as

per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk