Background to this inspection
Updated
10 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.’
This inspection took place on 5 and 8 December 2017 and was announced.
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that senior staff would be at the office and information would be made available for us to inspect.
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return [PIR]. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at the PIR prior to our visit and took this into account when we made judgements in this report. We also reviewed other information that we held about the service such as notifications. These detail events which happened at the service that the provider is required to tell us about. We also contacted the Local Authority for any information they held on the service.
We spoke with nine people who used the service, one relative of a person that used the service five support workers, the manager, the operations director, the head of learning and development, and the chief executive officer. We reviewed eight peoples care records to ensure they were reflective of their needs, six staff files, and other documents relating to the management of the service.
Updated
10 January 2018
This inspection took place on 5 and 8 December 2017 and was announced.
Carewatch (Milton Keynes) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of our inspection, the service was providing care to 89 people across Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire.
The service did not have a registered manager in post, but did have a manager that was going through the process of registration with the Care Quality Commission. 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, and staff had an understanding of abuse and the safeguarding procedures that should be followed to report abuse. People had risk assessments in place to cover any risks that were present within their lives, but also enable them to be as independent as possible. All the staff we spoke with were confident that any concerns they raised would be followed up appropriately by their manager.
Staffing levels were adequate to meet people's current needs. People told us that staff mostly arrived on time, and calls were not missed.
The staff recruitment procedures ensured that appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out to ensure only suitable staff worked at the service. References and security checks were carried out as required.
Staff attended induction training where they completed mandatory training courses and were able to shadow more experienced staff giving care. All new staff were taking part in training based upon the Care Certificate which teaches the fundamental standards within care. On-going training was offered to staff and mandatory areas of training were kept up to date.
Staff supported people with the administration of medicines, and were trained to do so. The people we spoke with were happy with the support they received.
Staff were trained in infection control, and told us they had the appropriate personal protective equipment to perform their roles safely. We saw that staff had reported any concerns they had around infection control within people’s homes to management, who had then acted appropriately.
Staff were well supported by the manager and senior team, and had one to one meet ups, spot checks and observations.
People's consent was gained before any care was provided and the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were met. Consent forms were signed and within people’s files.
People were able to choose the food and drink they wanted and staff supported people with this, and people could be supported to access health appointments when necessary.
Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect and spent time getting to know them and their specific needs and wishes. People told us they were happy with the way that staff spoke to them, and provided their care in a respectful and dignified manner.
People were involved in their own care planning and were able to contribute to the way in which they were supported. Care planning was personalised and mentioned people’s likes and dislikes, so that staff understood their needs fully. People told us they felt in control of their care and were listened to by staff.
The service had a complaints procedure in place to ensure that people and their families were able to provide feedback about their care and to help the service make improvements where required. The people we spoke with knew how to use it.
Quality monitoring systems and processes were used effectively to drive future improvement and identify where action was needed.
The service worked in partnership with other agencies to ensure quality of care across all levels. Communication was open and honest, and improvements were highlighted and worked upon as required.