Supporting Independence

Updated 21 October 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 with the support of a Bengali interpreter.

Service and service type

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

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.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we held about the service, including information relating to any serious occurrences the provider is required to tell us about and information from the capacity tracker. Capacity tracker is a web-based tool which enables providers to share information about staffing levels and the impact of COVID-19 on their services. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We visited the provider’s office on 20 September 2021. We reviewed records relating to the care and support of three people and records of recruitment, induction and supervision for five care workers. We spoke with the registered manager and nominated individual. We also reviewed information relating to the management of the service, including audits, staff meeting minutes and a range of key policies.

After the inspection

We reviewed information we requested from the provider, such as records of staff training and testing. We made calls to three care workers. We spoke with one person who used the service and a family member of another person who used the service.

Updated 21 October 2021

About the service

Supporting Independence is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to older people and people with physical disabilities from the Bengali community living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were three people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service

People told us they received good care from care workers who spoke their language and understood their culture. People we spoke with told us that care workers arrived on time and did all that they were required to do.

People were able to choose when they received support and care was responsive to people’s changing needs. People received support with food and drink in a way which met their cultural needs. People were provided with key information such as information on managing their medicines or protecting themselves against the risks of COVID-19 in their own language.

The service assessed risks to people’s wellbeing and had appropriate plans to in place to mitigate these. There was an understanding of the risks from chronic conditions such as diabetes and how staff should respond if people were taken ill.

There were suitable procedures for safeguarding people who used the service and responding to concerns. Care workers told us they could reach a manager whenever they had concerns or questions and that managers responded appropriately.

Care workers were recruited safely and there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. People benefitted from consistent staffing and there were measures in place to make sure staff had the right skills and knowledge to provide safe care.

The service had suitable measures to protect people from COVID-19, including ensuring staff had enough personal protective equipment to keep safe and were tested regularly. Staff were supported to receive a suitable vaccine.

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.

People told us they knew how to complain and that managers contacted them frequently to assess the quality of the service. Managers set clear expectations for staff and carried out spot checks to make sure care was delivered to a high standard.

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 7 July 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on when the service registered with us on 7 July 2020.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.