Background to this inspection
Updated
16 February 2019
The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.
Inspection team: This inspection was carried out on one day by two inspectors and an expert by experience, who had experience of supporting older people. 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: The Private Care Company Limited is a domiciliary care service, which provides personal care and support services for a range of people living in their own homes.
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: This was an announced inspection. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.
What we did: We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse; and we sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection, we spoke with 11 people who used the service and five relatives to ask about their experience of the care provided.
We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, service delivery manager, training manager, senior care workers and care workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included six people's care records and medication records. We also looked at six staff files in relation to recruitment and training records, records relating to the management of the service and a variety of policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.
Updated
16 February 2019
About the service:
The Private Care Company Limited is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care and support services for a range of people living in their own homes, who want to remain independent. These included older people, people with learning disabilities and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection 112 people were receiving a care service. For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
People’s experience of using this service:
At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns.
People were protected from avoidable harm. Staff knew how to recognise the potential signs of abuse and what action to take to keep people safe. People told us they felt safe and knew who to contact if they had any concerns. The registered manager continued to ensure there was enough staff to support people safely and they followed safe recruitment processes. One person told us, “She never rushes me, it’s absolutely all at my timescale.”
People continued to receive their medicines safely and on time and staff were trained in administering medicines. People knew what their medication was for and told us they felt reassured by the support with their medicines. People were protected by the prevention and control of infection and staff wore gloves and aprons when supporting people.
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 supported to maintain their health and had support to access health care services when they needed to and people were supported to maintain a balanced diet. One person told us, “They get my breakfast for me, tea and toast, prepare a sandwich for lunch and a salad sometimes for my evening meal. They make what I like. I wouldn't eat if it wasn't good.”
People continued to receive kind and compassionate care. People told us staff were kind and caring. One person told us, “The way the staff speak to me makes me feel they want to do their best for me.”
People continued to receive personalised care that was responsive to their needs. One person told us, “It’s been only a week and she's read the care plan and notes thoroughly. Very aware of my condition and has lots of experience in caring for others with the same condition.” People and relatives knew how to make a complaint and told us they felt listened to and had confidence that the manager and staff would act.
People and staff spoke positively about the culture of The Private Care Company. There were clear lines of accountability and the provider continued to have effective quality assurance processes in place. People told us they thought the service was well managed.
More information is in Detailed Findings below.
Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 29 July 2016)
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service continues to be rated Good overall.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.