EPR Services Ltd

Updated 2 July 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 was carried out by 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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

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 27 May 2022 and ended on 30 May 2022. We visited the location’s office on 30 May 2021.

What we did before the inspection

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 reviewed the information we already held about the service. This included their registration report and notifications. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

During the inspection.

During the inspection, we spoke with a relative, a member of staff, the registered manager and the director of the service. We reviewed one person's care file, one staff file and the provider's policies, procedures and documents relating to management, such as audits and quality assurance records.

Updated 2 July 2022

EPR Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care. At the time of the inspection, one person was receiving support with personal care. 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.

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

Initial assessment of needs were completed before people started using the service. Risks assessments ensured potential risks to people were identified and guidance put in place so that staff knew how to keep people safe. The provider's policies, such as adult safeguarding and whistleblowing helped ensure staff knew how to report incidents of abuse. The service had a robust staff recruitment system for checking staff were safe to work with people and had the necessary skills and training to provide personal care.

Staff were supported and were happy to work at the service. There were enough staff and relatives felt that staff were caring.

Care plans were person-centred, and people and relatives were involved in developing and reviewing them. People's communication needs were detailed in their care plans. Care plans also detailed people's preferences of support, for example, gender of care staff, and supported to practise their faith. Staff understood equality and diversity and ensured people's privacy and dignity was respected.

Where needed, staff supported people with medicines, accessing health care and preparing meals. The provider recorded and reviewed complaints, incidents and accidents and used auditing systems which helped learn lessons and improve the quality of the service.

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's consent was sought when care was provided.

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 27 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.