EXCELCARETV

Updated 18 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 team consisted of two inspectors. To support the inspection, one inspector reviewed records and contacted people using the service and staff who were working for the service, to gain their view of the care provided. One inspector visited the service location.

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. For this service the provider was also the registered manager.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short notice period of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 08 March 2021 and ended on 29 March 2021. We visited the office location on 12 March 2021.

What we did before the inspection

Prior to the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection as this requirement had been suspended due to the pandemic. 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 one relative about their experience of the care provided to their family member. We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included one person’s care records and medicine records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff 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 evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 18 May 2021

About the service

EXCELCARETV is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of inspection, they were providing care to one person.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The service had not followed their recruitment policy and staff recruitment processes were not robust. The staff recruitment records we checked did not contain all the relevant documents to ensure safe recruitment procedures. Staff had received mandatory training online however they had not undertaken practical training such as moving and handling people. We were told this was due to the risk of face to face training associated with the pandemic. The registered manager told us they were planning practical training when it was safe to do so.

One relative told us they felt their family member was safe using the service and said that if there were any concerns their family member would tell them. The relative told us staff were patient and kind and treated their family member with dignity and respect. Staff understood the person’s care needs and promoted their independence. 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.

Care plans were person-centred, however the information provided for staff on how to support the person’s needs and how to mitigate risks was limited. As staff knew the person well, this did not impact on the care the person received, however there could be potential future risks if new staff attended.

Staff told us the registered manager was approachable and supportive. The registered manager undertook spot checks frequently to ensure staff competency and conducted supervision meetings. Staff meetings were held, and we reviewed the minutes. Audits were completed for some areas of care including medicine administration records (MAR) and review of care plans.

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 us on 07 May 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection of a new service.

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 will continue to monitor the service.

We have identified a breach in relation to staff 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 to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.