Paula's House

Updated 2 December 2022

Background to this inspection

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 1 inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in shared accommodation and their own houses and flats.

Registered manager

The provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of the regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the care quality commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, and for the quality and safety of the care provided in compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection, there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced

We gave short notice of our inspection on 24 October 2022 to the registered manager who manages the service. This was because we wanted to ensure they would be available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 24 October 2022 and ended on 29 October 2022. We visited the office location on 26 October 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. We contact the local authority for feedback about the service, and a professional advocate. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send to us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with a social worker, 3 staff and an advocate. We looked at 5 staff files in relation to recruitment, policies and procedures and medication audits. We looked at staff training records, care plans and records relating to the management of the service, including health and safety records. We looked at 1 person’s care file and associated records.

Updated 2 December 2022

About the service

Paula’s House is a domiciliary care agency which is registered to provide personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, 1 person was using this service within a shared living accommodation. Not everyone who used the service received the regulatory activity of 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.

There was 1 person using the service at the time of the inspection. This person was supported by an advocate as they were not able to communicate with us. An advocate is a person who supports another person, helping with communication, listening to the person's views and sharing them with other professionals when requested to do so by the individual for support. Helping with the person's rights and choices, advocates will not give their opinion or make a judgement about a person they are supporting. The advocate told us that the person had settled well, and the support provided was good. Activities had improved for the individual and they were now supporting themselves with shopping, personal care and activities.

Systems were in place to ensure where appropriate, people received support to take their medicines as prescribed. Staff had received training in how to administer medication and confirmed management observed their practice to ensure they remained competent in this area.

People were supported by staff who were trained and competent to carry out their roles. People were assessed before their care started to ensure their needs could be met. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their life. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. The provider’s policies and procedures supported this practice.

Regular supervision took place and ongoing training to ensure staff had the right skills to support people. Care plans gave details of the person’s preferences and choices and the support they required to enable them to remain healthy. Risks to people were assessed and there were plans in place to mitigate risks

Rating at the last inspection

The service was registered with us on 21 January 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The service had not been inspected since their registration with us.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.