Archived: Karva Care Services Limited

Updated 27 November 2019

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

This 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.

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

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.

Inspection activity started on 15 July 2019 and ended on 18 July 2019. We visited the office location on these dates.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. 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 the registered manager, who is also the registered provider, and three members of staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and two medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

After the inspection –

We spoke with two people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 27 November 2019

About the service

Karva Care Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 10 people at the time of the inspection. Not everyone who used the service received 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 told us they felt safe and were supported by staff who understood the risks associated with their care. Care plans and risk assessments were not in place for all of people’s known risks. Where care needs had changed care plans and risk assessments had not always been updated to reflect people’s most current needs. This placed people at risk of receiving unsafe care. People were supported by staff who understood the appropriate action to take should they be concerned about people’s safety.

People received effective care. 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. However, the policies and systems in the service did not always support this practice. People were supported to receive appropriate healthcare in line with their specific needs. Staff had received training in line with people’s needs. Not all the people using the service required support with eating and drinking but where they did there was some guidance in people’s care plans.

People received support that was caring and kind. People and their relatives, where appropriate, were involved in their care. People had their dignity and privacy respected and their independence promoted.

People did not always receive care that was responsive to their needs. Whilst people and their relatives had been involved in developing their care plans and reviewing them as and when their needs changed, we found that care records had not been kept up to date. People were able to raise concerns and complaints and be assured these would be investigated.

The service was not consistently well-led. Governance systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service were either not in place or not robust. People were able to feedback their views of the service. The registered manager acted openly and responsively during the inspection ensuring they took immediate action to improve any areas of improvement we identified.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 05 January 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach in relation to a lack of robust systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service, Good Governance. The provider took action following the inspection to address the issues identified at the inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk