Archived: Care Designed for You

Updated 25 January 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

We gave the service five days’ notice of the inspection visit because staff work remotely and the provider needed sufficient time to be able to book a room to meet with us at the registered office. The inspection activity started on 1 November and ended on 22 November 2017. It included discussions with the provider and with staff, a review of records relating to the management of the service and telephone interviews with people who used the service and with relatives.

The inspection was carried out by one adult social care 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.

As part of planning our inspection, we contacted the local authority quality performance team to obtain their views about the service. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We visited the office location on 1 November 2017 to see the provider and to review care records and policies and procedures. With the provider’s agreement a CQC report writing coach attended this part of the inspection. Following our site visit on the first day the expert by experience carried out telephone interviews. We spoke with the provider, two care staff, one person who had previously used the service and three relatives. We looked at two care plans and one recruitment file.

We asked the provider to send us a copy of their complaint policy, confidentiality and information sharing policy and procedure, and a sample contract with staff and with people who used the service. This information was provided as requested.

Updated 25 January 2018

The inspection of Care Designed for You took place between 1 November and 22 November 2017. We gave five days' notice of our visit on the first day because the provider works remotely and they needed adequate notice to book a room to meet with us at the registered office.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults and younger disabled adults. Not everyone using Care Designed for You receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection three people were receiving a personal care service.

At the last inspection in October 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The provider was an individual who also managed the service on a day to day basis. They provided the personal care and support on a daily basis, together with a small group of staff. The provider has informed us that they are considering changing their registration, to apply to register with CQC as a limited company. We are dealing with this outside the inspection process.

Feedback about the quality of care was positive and people and relatives reported feeling safe and well cared for. Risk assessments were in place and those we saw identified risks to the person and guided staff on how to minimise or appropriately manage those risks.

The provider and staff had received training in safeguarding adults and understood their responsibilities to identify and report concerns. Safe recruitment and selection processes were followed. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs. People continued to receive effective care from staff who had the skills and knowledge to support them.

Although staff were not currently supporting people with their medicines the provider was aware of best practice guidance about managing medicines safely in the eventuality this was required in future.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were encouraged to eat a varied, nutritious diet where this was provided as part of the regulated activity. People benefited from caring relationships with staff who treated them with dignity and respect. People were involved in their care and assisted to maximise their independence.

Staff knew the people they were supporting well. Care plans detailed how people wished to

be supported and people and their relatives, where appropriate, were actively involved in making decisions about their care.

We have made a recommendation about the management of complaints, so people know they can refer their complaint to a free, independent service if they are unhappy with the provider’s investigation.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.