Candlelight Care (Corsley) Office

Updated 7 April 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 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.

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

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 15 March 2022 and ended on 18 March 2022. We visited the location’s office on 15 March.

What we did before the inspection

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 seven people who used the service and one person’s relative. We spoke with five members of staff, the registered manager and the deputy manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records. We looked at four 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 looked at training data and policies. We sought feedback from two professionals who worked with the service.

Updated 7 April 2022

About the service

Candlelight Care is a domiciliary care service, providing personal care to people living in and around Wiltshire and Somerset.

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. One the day of inspection, 53 people were receiving the regulated activity of personal care.

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

Some systems were in place to monitor the quality of care provided. However, the systems in place did not effectively monitor all aspects of the service. Although feedback had been sought from people using the service it had not been analysed and no staff surveys had been carried out. The provider informed us they planned to implement a formal audit schedule as soon as possible. Staff spoke highly of the manager and said the service was a good place to work. One staff member said, “[Registered manager] is lovely, she's so good and so easy to talk to.” Another member of staff said, “I do think the care is good here. I always put the client first and look after them properly and the other staff I've worked with are the same.”

People told us they felt safe using the service. People were cared for by staff who knew how to keep them safe and protect them from avoidable harm. One person said, “Oh yes, I do feel safe, very much so. They are a good team, professional and know their stuff. They’re a nice bunch of staff both male and female.” There were enough staff available to meet people's needs. People were supported to take their medicines safely. Incidents and accidents were reported, investigated and actions taken to prevent recurrence.

People's needs were assessed, and care plans were in place. People were cared for by staff who had been trained to carry out their roles and who were knowledgeable about the support people needed. 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 they were cared for by kind and compassionate staff. Staff understood the need to respect people's privacy and dignity. One person said, “I get on with the staff like a house on fire. I can see on the rota who’s coming, and I look forward to seeing them. I am severely vulnerable and haven’t been out for two years, so they are my lifeline.”

Staff were knowledgeable about people's support needs as well as people's preferences for how they were cared for. One person said, “They always include my [partner] when we talk and make [them] feel involved. They even bring dog treats for the dog. They have a holistic approach for the whole family.” There was a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to complain if they needed to.

We have recommended that the service reviews the quality assurance arrangements to ensure they are robust.

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 30 November 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.