ICare (GB) Limited - Runcorn

Updated 22 March 2024

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors and a medicines 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

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we wanted to be sure there would be staff based in the office to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 9 January 2024 and ended on 24 January 2024. We visited the location’s office on 9 and 24 January 2024.

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 who work with 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 their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people who used the service and 3 family members about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 8 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, care workers and office staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people's care records and 4 people’s medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment, supervision and training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures, were also reviewed.

Following our visits to the office, we continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found and looked at training records and quality assurance records.

Updated 22 March 2024

About the service

I Care (GB) Limited Runcorn is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to adults in their own homes. The service was providing personal care to 26 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

Improvements were made to the management of medicines following the implementation of a new electronic system. People told us they received their medicines at the right times.

The provider had improved their systems in relation to risk management. Risks to the health, safety and welfare of people were identified through the completion of risk assessments. Risk assessments provided sufficient information about the risks people faced and how to minimise the risk of harm to people.

Systems and processes to assess and monitor the safety and quality of the service had improved since the last inspection.

People told us there were some inconsistencies in the timing and attendance of their visits. Managers addressed this following our feedback.

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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Mental capacity assessments were in place. The provider had acted upon a recommendation following the last inspection regarding the application of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Mental capacity assessments were only completed for people who lacked the ability to make decisions for themselves.

The provider maintained a record of completed training required for their role and staff confirmed they had completed this training. Staff received support through regular 1-1 supervision sessions, however, some staff felt support outside of their supervision sessions was inconsistent. Managers addressed this following our feedback.

People and family members told us communication with office staff was in the main good, however, staff felt this could improve for them. Managers addressed this following our feedback.

Staff followed good infection prevention and control practices and they had access to a good supply of PPE which they used and disposed of safely.

The provider operated safe recruitment processes.

The registered manager and provider understood their duty to share information in an open and honest manner. They were receptive of feedback during the inspection and took prompt action to make improvements.

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 requires improvement (published 9 August 2022). The service has improved to good.

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found the provider had made the required improvements and was no longer in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 9 August 2022. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

When we last inspected I Care (GB) Limited Runcorn in May and June 2022 breaches of legal requirements were found. This inspection was undertaken to check whether they were now meeting the legal requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for ICare (GB) Limited Runcorn on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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