We carried out a review of the data available to us about Rydale Community Care on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Rydale Community Care, you can give feedback on this 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 were very happy with the service provided and felt safe with the staff who supported them. Staff had received training to protect people from avoidable harm and abuse and understood how to raise any concerns for further investigation.
Staff received appropriate induction, training, and support as necessary to enable them to carry out the duties they were employed to perform.
The registered manager completed a range of audits and checks to maintain standards of service. Management oversight was used in conjunction with feedback to ensure checks remained effective; to ensure actions identified as requiring improvement were always implemented in a timely way following the provider policy.
Risks associated with people's care were assessed and recorded to help staff provide safe care. Care plans included environmental risk assessments with information used by staff to keep them safe when entering and navigating people’s homes. Where people required support to take their medicines, this was done safely as prescribed with appropriate record keeping checked for accuracy.
People were involved in, and central to planning their care and support. Care was delivered following a robust assessment of needs to ensure people’s wishes, preferences and any personal characteristics were recorded and supported.
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.
Staff had good access to personal protective equipment to manage the risks associated with the spread of infection including CVOID-19 and adhered to government guidance to protect people.
People spoke positively about the service they received and the way the service was managed. They told us they knew when to expect visits from care staff and that visits respected their preferred times and duration.
The registered manager was passionate about providing people with a personalised service to help them remain living as independent as possible in their own homes. People told us that their care was reviewed, and records updated when their care needs changed to ensure staff had the required information to support them in retaining their independence.
The culture of the service was open and empowered individuals to express their views to live their best lives with the support of staff. People told us they felt confident to approach staff and the registered manager and that their suggestions would be listened and responded to.
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 17 December 2021) and there was a breach of regulation. 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 and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
At our last inspection we recommended that the provider reviewed and developed the quality assurance system in line with best practice, to ensure it was effective in driving continuous improvement. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on our recommendations and they had made improvements.
Why we inspected
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 19, and 25 October 2021. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve Regulation 19; Fit and proper persons employed.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Rydale Community Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Rydale Community Care is a domiciliary care agency providing care and support to people with a range of support needs living in their own homes. There were 29 people being supported by the service at the time of our inspection.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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 received a caring and responsive service, but improvements were needed to recruitment practices and some aspects of record keeping. We have made a recommendation about quality assurance processes, to ensure they are more effective in identifying and addressing these shortfalls.
People received care from a generally consistent group of care staff, who were usually on time and always stayed the full length of time required. Risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were assessed and minimised. People received their medicines as prescribed, but information relating to medicines prescribed for use ‘as and when required’ needed to be clearer. There were systems in place to reduce the risk of infections spreading, including training, policies and access to personal protective equipment (PPE). The registered manager refreshed staff knowledge in the safe use of PPE shortly after our inspection.
Staff received an induction, spot checks and supervision to help them deliver effective care. There were care plans in place to guide staff how to support people in line with their needs and wishes. The registered manager was taking action to increase the information available in care plans about risks in relation to any health conditions people had. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s needs and supported people to access healthcare professionals when required.
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 in the service supported this practice. Staff sought people’s consent before delivering care and respected their wishes. The registered manager agreed to review records in relation to people’s capacity to consent to their care.
People’s privacy and dignity was respected and staff were kind and attentive. Staff promoted people’s independence and were responsive to changes in people’s needs.
The registered manager promoted a positive, person-centred culture and was keen to continually improve the service. Staff felt supported and enjoyed their work. The registered manager and staff worked positively with other agencies to meet people’s needs and deliver good outcomes.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection:
This service was registered with CQC on 13 March 2020 and this was the first rated inspection of the service.
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the date of the provider’s registration.
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 one breach in relation to recruitment.
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 return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.