M N Pulse Solutions

Updated 23 September 2022

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2088 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or telephone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

This is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

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 performance review and assessment there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This performance review and assessment was announced.

We gave the service a short period notice. This was because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available to support the performance review and assessment.

We gave a short period notice of our performance review and assessment on 22 August 2022. We held a video meeting with the registered manager on 23 August 2022. We had a feedback video meeting with the registered manager on 30 August 2022.

Performance review and assessment activity started on 22 August 2022 and ended on 30 August 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we had received about the service since registration. We contacted the Local Authority and asked for feedback from them. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We used technology such as video calls and telephone calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff. We used electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.

During this time, we spoke with the registered manager – who is the director of the business and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. In this report, we refer to this person as the registered manager. We spoke with five people and relatives to gain their feedback about the service. We spoke with three staff members and received email feedback from four staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four care plans and one medication administering information, four sets of risk and health management records and daily notes. We reviewed two staff employment records and staff training and competency assessments. We reviewed policies and procedures and quality monitoring records the registered manager used to assure themselves people received a safe service.

Updated 23 September 2022

About the service

M N Pulse Solutions (also known as M N Pulse Solutions Limited) is a domiciliary care agency which is registered to provide personal care and support to younger and older people aged 18-65 years, people with mental health support needs and people with a learning disability or on the autistic spectrum. Care and support is provided in people’s own homes. At the time of our performance review and assessment the service was supporting ten people who 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

Some people and their relatives were satisfied with the care and support they received and shared positive feedback about staff. However, others felt some improvements were needed in the service they received, and that staff required more training.

We found some improvements were needed. Systems and processes for care call monitoring was not effective and a few people had experienced missed and late calls. Immediate action was taken by the registered manager to make this improvement.

Quality checks, such as audits and spot checks on staff, were undertaken but were not always effective in identifying where improvements were needed. For example, within staff employment records.

Some pre-employment checks were undertaken on staff to ensure they were suitable. Some people and relatives felt staff's induction and training staff had completed did not give them all the skills or knowledge they needed for their role.

Staff were described as having a kind and caring approach and promoted people's independence.

People had individual plans of care and these gave staff information about people. This included how to keep people safe and reduce risks of harm and injury. Some assessments needed additional detail to ensure staff could refer to actions to follow to minimise risks of harm. People received their medicines in a safe way. People and their relatives felt safe with staff in their homes and protected from the risks of abuse.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right support: Model of care and setting maximises people's choice, control and independence

¿ 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.

Right care: Care is person-centred and promotes people's dignity, privacy and human rights.

¿ Right culture: Ethos, value, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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 06 January 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about the service.

Follow up

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