Chamomile Care Ltd

Updated 24 February 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

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

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.

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 18 January 2022 and ended on 24 January 2022. We visited the location’s office on 18 January 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they had registered with the Care Quality Commission. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four members of staff, including the registered manager who is also the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed a range of records, including three people's care records and medication 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 spoke with three people who used the service. We also received feedback from health and social care professionals who worked with the service.

Updated 24 February 2022

About the service

Chamomile Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing support and personal care to people 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. At the time of the inspection nine people were receiving personal care.

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

People received compassionate care and felt respected and valued as individuals. Staff exceeded expectations to ensure people's needs were met and they were comfortable and safe.

People said that they were treated with dignity and respect by friendly caring staff who they described as ‘brilliant’. People said they were involved in the planning of their care, that assessments carried out prior to receiving care were thorough. People were supported with end of life care by care staff in conjunction with health professionals.

People told us they felt safe when care staff supported them. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. People always received their care calls and were contacted if staff were going to be late. Staff had been recruited safely and received training in safeguarding and other areas of risk. Staff ensured they kept people safe from the risk of infection by wearing appropriate PPE and following infection control practices.

Peoples care needs, risks associated with their care and environmental risks had been assessed and mitigated. Where people needed support with their medicines it was done so safely by suitably trained and competent staff.

Where needed care staff supported people to maintain a balanced diet and supported people to access health care when required, including contacting people’s GP and district nurses.

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 the management team were approachable and listened to them. People told us they would recommend the service to others. The management team communicated well with staff to ensure people's needs were met, including at the end of their life.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

This service was registered with us on 26 August 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the length of time since they were registered with the CQC to provide personal care.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.