Background to this inspection
Updated
8 December 2016
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
This inspection took place on 4 November and 10 November 2016, and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure staff would be available for us to talk to, and that records would be accessible. The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.
We checked the information we held about the service and the provider and saw that no recent concerns had been raised. We looked at information we had received about events that the provider was required to inform us about by law. For example, incidents of serious injuries or events that stopped the service. We also contacted the local authority that commissions the service to obtain their views about the provision of care to people using the service.
We spoke with five people who used the service and four relatives. We also spoke with six staff. These included the area manager, the registered manager, the deputy manager and three care and support workers.
We looked at six people’s care records to see if they were reflective of their current needs. We reviewed seven staff recruitment and training files and two weeks of staff rotas. We also looked at further records relating to the management of the service, including quality audits and service user feedback, in order to ensure that robust quality monitoring systems were in place.
Updated
8 December 2016
This inspection took place on 4 and 10 November 2016 and was announced.
This was the second comprehensive inspection carried out at Excelcare Homecare Division.
Excelcare Homecare Division is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support. to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to 34 people.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons.’ Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People felt safe. Staff had been provided with safeguarding training to enable them to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and understand how to report them. There were risk management plans in place to protect and promote people’s safety. Staffing numbers were appropriate to keep people safe. There were safe recruitment practices in place and these were being followed to ensure staff employed were suitable for their role. People’s medicines were managed safely and in line with best practice guidelines.
Staff received regular training that provided them with the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs. They were well supported by the registered manager and had regular one to one supervision and annual appraisals.
Staff sought people’s consent before providing any care and support. They were knowledgeable about the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 legislation. Where the service was responsible people were supported by staff to access food and drink of their choice to promote healthy eating. If required, staff supported people to access healthcare services.
People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff; and had established positive and caring relationships with them. People were able to express their views and to be involved in making decisions in relation to their care and support needs. Staff ensured people’s privacy and dignity was promoted.
People received care that was reflective of their needs. Detailed assessments were undertaken prior to them receiving a service. This ensured the care provided would be appropriate and able to fully meet their needs. People’s care plans were updated on a regular basis or when there was a change to their care needs. The service had a complaints procedure to enable people to raise a complaint if the need arose.
There was a culture of openness and transparency at the service. Staff were positive about the management and leadership which inspired them to deliver a quality service. The service had quality assurance systems in place, which were used to good effect and to continuously improve on the quality of the care provided.