Background to this inspection
Updated
18 November 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 Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
This inspection was completed by 1 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.
Registered Manager
The 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 and for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because 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 the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We visited the offices of this service. We spoke with the registered manager, the care coordinator and 4 care workers. We inspected 6 care files and 5 staff files. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of 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 the service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We spoke with 7 people who used the service and 3 relatives on the telephone about their experience of the care provided. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.
Updated
18 November 2023
About the service
J C Michaels Group Croydon Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. At the present time it provides a service for 65 people. The Care Quality Commission (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 and their relatives told us they were happy with the service they received. They told us they received support from a regular team of carers and this enabled them to build up trust and confidence with the staff who supported them. Both the people and their relatives told us they felt safe and were protected from the risk of abuse. We saw the service had safeguarding procedures in place that staff were well aware of. Staff told us they received training on safeguarding people.
Risk assessments and risk management strategies were in place as part of the assessment and support planning process. This meant risks to people and to staff were minimised.
There were robust recruitment practices in place and sufficient staff levels to meet people's needs.
Some people receiving care did not need support with their medicines. For these people, their relatives undertook the responsibility for this. The relatives we spoke with confirmed this. Where this was not possible and where people did not manage their own medicines, staff prompted people. We saw evidence that all staff received appropriate training to help ensure people received their medicines safely and staff had clear guidance to follow. Staff told us the training was effective and they received refresher training every year.
The registered manager ensured that all staff received appropriate training and support to understand and to manage COVID-19. This included best practice for infection control and the use of PPE.
There were systems in place to ensure that accidents, incidents and risks were appropriately recorded and included details of preventive strategies used by the service to reduce the likelihood of events occurring in the future.
Referral information was comprehensive. The provider also carried out their own assessments of need and risk and these informed people’s support plans which were reviewed and updated annually or as people's needs changed.
People told us they were well supported by staff. They were supported to eat and drink according to their dietary requirements taking into consideration people's preferences.
People and their relatives told us they were treated with dignity and respect. They told us staff had the right skills to deliver appropriate care and support.
People and their relatives said the registered manager welcomed feedback and they said complaints were dealt with swiftly and professionally. People told us they thought the service was well led and that they were very happy with the support they received.
There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the services provided to people which ensured good governance. Technology was used effectively by the provider to ensure people were informed promptly about potentially missed or late calls. The service had systems in place to notify the appropriate authorities where concerns were identified. The culture of the service was positive, open and person centred.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was good (published 13th December 2019).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted because the service had not received a comprehensive inspection since November 2019.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.