Teasdale Healthcare Ltd

Updated 14 February 2019

The inspection:

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.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by one inspector. There was also an Expert by Experience who made phone calls to people who used the service and their relatives. 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. It provides a service to older adults and younger disabled adults.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means 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:

The inspection was unannounced as we did not give them any notice. The inspection site visit activity started on 21 December 2018 and ended on 7 January 2019. It included speaking with the registered manager and provider, speaking with office staff and care staff who visited the office; we also reviewed care records, records relating to the management and oversight of the service and policies and procedures. The Expert by Experience made phone calls to people who used the service and their relatives within this time.

What we did:

We used the information we held about the service, including notifications, to plan our inspection. A notification is information about events that by law the registered persons should tell us about. We asked for feedback from the commissioners of people’s care to find out their views on the quality of the service. Also, prior to the inspection the provider would usually send us a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send to us when we request it to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. However, due to technical issues we did not receive this until the day of inspection.

We spoke with thirteen people who used the service, 8 relatives, a senior care staff member, six care assistants, staff who worked in the office, the registered manager, the provider and three other professionals. We viewed five care files for people, including daily notes and medicines records. We viewed accidents and incidents records. We looked at documents relating the management and administration of the service such as audits, meeting records and surveys.

Updated 14 February 2019

About the service:

Teasdale Healthcare Ltd is a domiciliary care service that was providing personal care to 133 people living in their own homes at the time of the inspection. People had a range of support needs such as people living with dementia, older and younger adults, people with a learning disability and a physical and/or sensory impairment.

People’s experience of using this service:

Systems needing improving to ensure all incidents were identified and that staff recruitment information was readily available. The registered manager and provider needed to ensure notifications to the CQC were submitted as required.

People felt safe and risks were mitigated. There were enough staff to ensure people received timely support. People received their medicines. Lessons were learned when things went wrong. People were protected from cross infection as appropriate measures were in place.

People had their needs assessed and had access to other healthcare professionals when needed. People were supported to have food and drinks appropriate for their needs. The principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were being followed.

People were supported by kind and caring staff. People had a choice and were able to make decisions about their care whilst being supported to remain independent.

People received personalised care that met their needs. People could complain when they needed to and complaints were investigated and dealt with. When people were nearing the end of the lives they were supported appropriately however care plans would benefit from more detail about people’s wishes.

People, relatives and staff found the registered manager and provider approachable and supportive. The provider worked in partnership with organisations and sought feedback from people who used the service to make improvements.

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection carried out in March 2017 we found the service was rated as requires improvement overall and there was one breach of a regulation of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Why we inspected:

We planned the inspection based on the previous rating.

Recommendations:

• We recommend staff improve their knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

• We recommend people’s care plans reflect their end of life wishes, when necessary.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service and check improvements have been made at our next inspection.