E Care Wickford

Updated 8 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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors.

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. Due to the pandemic, we gave a short period notice of the inspection to enable us to collate as much information as possible virtually to minimise the time spent by the inspection team visiting the provider’s office.

Inspection activity started on 11 January 2022 and ended on 20 January 2022. We visited the office location on 19 January 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, trusted assessor, and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple 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. We reviewed feedback received from four health and social care professionals.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 8 February 2022

About the service

E Care Wickford is a domiciliary care service registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes.

E Care Wickford provides short term reablement support packages for up to six weeks. The aim of the service is to promote people’s independence in their own homes following discharge from hospital, and to avoid hospital admissions/readmissions and/or residential care.

At the time of our inspection, the service was providing care and support to 33 people, all of whom were receiving 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

People felt safe and were protected from avoidable harm because staff knew how to identify and report any concerns. Risks relating to people’s health and safety were identified, assessed and regularly reviewed.

Safe recruitment systems were in place. Appropriate checks were undertaken to ensure staff were suitable to work at the service. Staff received training to develop their skills and knowledge, were well supported and worked effectively as a team. There were enough staff available to meet people's needs. People had not experienced missed care call visits.

Where required, people were supported with their medicines. Staff had received training and systems were in place for the safe administration and auditing of people’s medicines.

People were complimentary about the support they received and the kind, caring attitude of staff. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and people were supported to regain, and maintain, their independence. Everyone we spoke with told us they would recommend the service to others.

People received a person-centred service. People were consulted over their care and support needs and support was flexible, adjusting to their changing needs. 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.

The service was well led. The registered manager provided clear leadership and was committed to providing high quality care. Staff felt valued and supported and enjoyed working at the service. The registered manager had established strong working relationships with health and social care professionals. Systems and processes were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and to drive continuous improvement.

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 23 December 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the length of time the service was registered and when they commenced providing a regulated activity.

Follow up

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