Link Care Solutions

Updated 20 September 2023

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 team consisted of 1 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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of 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, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a person registered with the Commission to manage the service. However, they had not worked at the service for over a year. There was a manager in place who told us they intended to submit an application to register.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 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.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered with the Commission. 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 also used information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 17 April 2023 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We reviewed 4 care plans, staffing rotas, the call monitoring system and staff training matrices. We reviewed documents relating to the running of the service. We spoke to 3 people who use the service and 5 relatives. We spoke to 4 members of staff including the manager, the nominated individual and 2 care staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Updated 20 September 2023

About the service

Link Care Solutions is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in the community. The service provides support to adults who may have dementia, mental health conditions or physical health conditions. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people using the service.

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

Staff were not always recruited safely. References had not been received for one member of staff prior to commencing work. This had been identified and addressed by the provider prior to the inspection. Medicines were administered safely however there were no records to demonstrate that staff competency to administer medication had been assessed. We have made a recommendation around this. Safeguarding policies were in place and staff knew how to raise concerns. People told us they felt safe.

Staff training was not all up to date at the time of the inspection. The mandatory training was being reviewed by the manager to determine what was essential. People were supported to eat and drink, and their preferences were recorded. Staff were supported by spot checks and check ins with the manager.

People were treated with dignity and respect by staff. People told us that staff were kind and caring. Staff supported people well and encouraged them to maintain their independence where possible.

People’s care plans were personalised, and further details were added when staff got to know people. Care notes demonstrated that staff knew people well and how they liked to be supported. People were supported with compassion at the end of their lives.

The provider did not have systems in place to ensure that information was kept up to date. The provider had not updated the Commission regarding their registered manager leaving the service. The office address had also changed which had only been partly updated with the Commission. Staff and people using the service gave positive feedback about the manager and management team.

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. At the time of the inspection, the location did not care or support for anyone with a learning disability or an autistic person.

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 18 January 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

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

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to the governance of the service at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.