Prime Healthcare Avenue Ltd

Updated 25 May 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.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. 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 inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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 looked at all the information we held about the provider including information they sent us when they were registered with us. We also looked at reviews people had posted online about the service. 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

Inspection activity started on 26 April 2022 and ended on 9 May. We visited the location’s office 27 April 2022. We spoke with the registered manager and a care co-ordinator. We viewed a range of records relating to people's care and the management of the service. This included three people's care and risk management plans and medicines support and care records. We saw two staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision. We viewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, meeting records and procedures.

After the inspection

We requested further evidence and continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate the evidence we found. We spoke with two care staff, one person who used the service and four relatives of people who used the service.

Updated 25 May 2022

About the service

Prime Healthcare Avenue Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the agency was supporting five people. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. In this service, the Care Quality Commission can only inspect the service received by people who get support with personal care. This includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people receive such support, we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People and their relatives spoke well of their care service and how it was managed.

A relative commented, “I think they are brilliant, very professional.” People told us they felt safe and caring staff treated them with dignity and respect.

The service met people’s care and support needs. The provider developed care plans with people and their relatives, which set out their likes, care preferences and communication needs. People were supported with their medicines safely.

There were enough staff to meet people's needs. People were visited by the same staff who they were familiar with and who knew their needs and how they liked to be supported. The provider’s recruitment processes helped to make sure only suitable staff were employed.

Staff received regular training, supervision and competency checks so they could support people well. They felt supported in their roles by the registered manager.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and recognise when improvements were required. People and staff were asked to give feedback about the service. People and their relatives knew how to raise issues or complaints and found the registered manager responsive, approachable and experienced.

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.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Last rating and update

The service was registered with us on 31 March 2021 and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The service was inspected based on the date they were registered with us.

Follow up

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