Background to this inspection
Updated
2 April 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 one inspector. An Expert by Experience carried out telephone interviews with people receiving care and their relatives. 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
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 we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 1 March 2021 and ended on 4 March 2021. We visited the office location on 1 March 2021 and 2 March 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last 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.
During the inspection
We spoke with 11 people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager, the registered manager from another location who was providing additional support at the service, the quality monitoring officer and the director of operations. We received feedback from 19 care workers. We reviewed a range of records which included the care plans for eight people and multiple medication records. We looked at the records for eight care workers in relation to recruitment and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate the evidence we found. We looked at training data and the registered manager provided examples of the reviews carried out of mental capacity assessments.
Updated
2 April 2021
About the service
Care Outlook (Wembley) provides domiciliary care services for adults with a wide range of needs. The service offers support to people who require help with day to day routines, including personal care, meal preparation, shopping, housework and supporting people out into the community. At the time of inspection there were 110 people receiving support. 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
In the main 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; however the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice. We have made a recommendation about ensuring the principles of the Mental Capacity Act were followed.
People told us they felt safe when care workers supported them. People’s medicines were administered in a safe way and as prescribed. Risk management plans were developed providing care workers with guidance on how to mitigate risks for people they supported. The provider had a robust recruitment procedure in place.
Care workers completed the training and received the supervision they required to provide them with the knowledge and skills to provide care in a safe and effective way. A detailed assessment of a person’s care needs was completed before care visits started. People were happy with the care they received and the care workers who visited them were kind and caring.
People’s care plans described the care and support they required and how they wanted it to be provided. The provider had a complaints procedure in place and complaints were responded to in an appropriate manner. People told us they knew what to do if they wished to raise any concerns.
There was a range of quality assurance processes in place to identify if any actions were required to improve the service. People using the service and staff felt the service was well-led. The provider worked in partnership with a range of statutory and voluntary organisations.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for the service at the previous premises was good, published on 26 May 2017. The service was registered at a new address during January 2020.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.