CN Healthcare Limited

CN Healthcare Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. At the time of our inspection it provided a service for 23 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 felt safe and were protected from the risk of abuse. The service had safeguarding procedures in place that staff received regular training about. Staff knew how to safeguard people from abuse and the processes that should be followed where concerns arose. 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.

Staff files showed staff recruitment was undertaken appropriately. The provider had taken steps to protect people from staff who may not be fit and safe to support them.

There were sufficient staff levels to meet people's needs.

People received their medicines safely. Staff received appropriate training on the safe administration of medicines. This together with appropriate supervision and monitoring meant when required people received their medicines safely and staff had clear guidance to follow.

The provider ensured that all their staff received appropriate training and support to understand and to manage COVID-19. This included best practice for infection control and the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The provider made appropriate support services available to staff in order to support their mental wellbeing through the pandemic and if they became unwell and when they returned to work.

Accidents, incidents and risks were appropriately recorded and reviewed, with strategies put in place by the service to reduce the likelihood of similar events occurring in the future.

Assessments were undertaken by the local authorities that funded people’s support to which the provider contributed. Clear outcomes were identified and people’s support plans were revised and updated as people’s needs changed. People were supported by staff to eat and drink according to their dietary requirements, taking into consideration people’s preferences.

Staff received training in all the necessary areas of their work. Staff had regular supervision and they told us they felt supported.

People told us they were treated with dignity and respect. This was echoed by people’s relatives. They told us staff had the right skills to deliver appropriate care and support. Staff were able to communicate with people well. Information was provided in various formats where required.

People and their relatives said any concerns they had were addressed appropriately and resolved by the registered manager. They told us 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 service 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 22 October 2018].

Why we inspected:

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up:

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

C N Healthcare Ltd is a service which is registered to provide personal care to adults in their own home. At the time of our inspection there were five people using this service. This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides a service to older adults and younger disabled adults.

The registered manager remained in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they felt safe. Staff were trained in adult safeguarding procedures and knew what to do if they considered people were at risk of harm or if they needed to report any suspected abuse. Staff were aware of the whistleblowing procedures and knew how to use them.

The risks to people's safety and wellbeing were assessed and regularly reviewed.

The provider had processes in place for the recording and investigation of incidents and accidents.

There were sufficient numbers of staff available to help meet people’s needs.

People were supported appropriately with the management of their medicines.

Staff completed training for good practice with food hygiene and infection control.

The provider met the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) to help ensure people’s rights were protected. Staff had received appropriate training and had a good understanding of the MCA. People and their relatives said staff sought their consent before providing care.

People were supported to access health care services as required in order to help them to stay healthy.

Relatives told us staff were consistently kind and caring and established positive relationships with people and with them. They told us staff valued people, treated them with respect and promoted their rights, choice and independence.

People and their relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care. Care plans were reviewed on a regular basis and also when there was a change in care needs. People were given information about how to make a complaint and the people we spoke with knew how to go about making a complaint and were confident that they would be responded to appropriately by the provider. We saw evidence the registered manager responded to complaints received in a timely manner.

People and relatives were positive about the management of the service. The registered manager and the staff were approachable and fully engaged with providing good quality care for people who used the service. The provider had systems in place to continually monitor the quality of the service and there were arrangements for people to be asked for their opinions via surveys. Action plans were developed where required to address areas for improvements.

At the time of the inspection, there was a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People felt safe and were supported by staff who knew how to keep them safe. Risks to people's health and safety were assessed and appropriately managed and people were supported by appropriate numbers of staff.

Appropriate staff recruitment procedures helped to keep people safe.

People received the support they needed to safely manage their medicines.

Staff had the knowledge and skills to care for people effectively and felt well supported by appropriate training and effective supervision.

People were all able to make choices and decisions about their care sometimes with the support of their relatives.

People received support where they needed it to have enough to eat and drink and to access a range of healthcare services.

Relatives told us staff were consistently kind and caring and established positive relationships with people and with them. They told us staff valued people, treated them with respect and promoted their rights, choice and independence.

People were treated with kindness and respect by staff. We found there was consistency in the provision of care for people and this enabled caring relationships to be developed. People were supported by staff who understood them and their needs, wishes and preferences.

People and their relatives were able to be involved in the planning and reviewing of their care. Staff supported people to make day to day decisions.

People were provided with support that was responsive to their changing needs and staff helped people to maintain any interests they had. People felt able to make a complaint and the provider had taken action to raise awareness of the complaints procedure.

We received positive feedback about the management of the service. The registered manager and the staff were approachable and fully engaged with providing good quality care for people who used the service. The provider had systems in place to continually monitor the quality of the service and there were arrangements for people to be asked for their opinions via surveys. Action plans were developed where required to address areas for improvements.