South Essex Domiciliary Care

Updated 3 August 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

This inspection was carried out by 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

South Essex Domiciliary Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own flats and specialist housing. This service provides care and support to people living in several ‘supported living’ settings, as well as in their own homes, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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 inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 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.

We visited the offices on the 3 July 2023 and visited 5 people who received support in their homes on the 4 July 2023. The Expert by Experience made phone calls to people and relatives on the 4 July 2023.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We communicated with 12 people who used the service and 5 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 7 members of staff including the registered manager and care staff.

We viewed a range of records. This included 3 people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

Updated 3 August 2023

About the service

South Essex Domiciliary Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to younger and older people with a physical, sensory or learning disability and autism living in their own homes and supported living accommodation. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people receiving a regulated activity.

Not everyone who used the service received a regulated activity. 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

Feedback from families and relatives was positive. A relative told us, “[Person name] is so well looked after.” Another relative said, “I would not want them to be anywhere else.”

Care and treatment were planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People were cared for safely by staff who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed.

There were systems in place to minimise the risk of infection and to learn lessons from accidents and incidents. Medication was dispensed by staff who had received training to do so.

The registered manager enabled staff to develop their skills to provide good quality care. People were supported with diet and nutrition to maintain their well-being. Staff worked well with people, families and professionals to support health and wellbeing.

Care was focused on supporting people to remain independent. Staff supported people to engage in their local community. Care was personalised around people’s needs and preferences. Staff reviewed and adapted support as people’s needs changed.

The registered manager had systems in place to monitor the service, measure outcomes for people and make improvements where needed

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:

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:

The ethos, values, 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

The rating at the last inspection under previous provider was good (published 5 July 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and a change in legal entity.

Follow up

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