Advanced Medcare

Updated 10 November 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was conducted by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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 September and ended on 11 October. We visited the location’s office on 4 October 2022.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, we reviewed all the information we held about the service including information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law. We requested feedback from other stakeholders. These included the local authority safeguarding team, commissioning team and Healthwatch Leeds. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection, we spoke with four people who were using the service and seven relatives. We spoke with four staff members; this included care workers, the registered manager and nominated individual.

We looked at care records for three people using the service including medicine administration records. We looked at training, recruitment and supervision records for staff. We also reviewed various policies and procedures and the arrangements for quality assurance within the service.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 10 November 2022

About the service

Advanced Medcare is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to adults living in their own homes. 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. During our inspection visit, the service was caring for 28 people.

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

People and their relatives were overwhelmingly positive about staff and told us the service made them feel safe, promoted their independence and had a positive impact in their lives. One person told us, “Changing to Advanced [Medcare] was the best thing I ever did.” However, during this inspection, we found some aspects of the service had not always been managed safely.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

Risks to people's care were assessed and actions put in place to manage them. Incidents were analysed and actions taken, when required. The provider was not always recording when equipment used to move people had passed the relevant safety checks. Most areas of staff recruitment were safe, however, we reviewed evidence confirming some staff had started working before the required DBS checks had been completed. Medication was managed safely.

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 received support to maintain good nutrition and hydration and their healthcare needs were understood and met. The provider kept in close contact with relevant healthcare professionals.

The provider was caring for people with complex health conditions and some required end of life care. Care plans were detailed, and person centred. Staff knew people well and had the necessary skills, training and support to carrying out their jobs safely.

The service had not received any complaints. People and family members were confident that any concerns or complaints would be listened to and acted upon quickly by the registered manager.

We received very positive feedback about the registered manager being approachable and responsive. There was a clear vision about the quality of care the provided. The registered manager and nominated individual told us about their plans to further develop the service. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

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 10 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.