GA Professionals Healthcare LTD

Updated 10 September 2022

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 one 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 and specialist housing. 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 inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the registered manager or a senior person would be available to support the inspection. We also needed to obtain the consent from people using the service to be contacted by us to obtain feedback on their experience of using the service.

The inspection activity started on 26 July 2022 by visiting the provider's office to meet with a director and the care-coordinators. We then made phone calls to people using the service and staff, and inspection activity ended on 30 August 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we had received about the service since they registered with us, including any statutory notifications received. The provider completed a provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection

During the inspection

We spoke with a director and the two care coordinators. The registered manager was unavailable due to a health condition. We reviewed a range of records including care and staff records and records relating to the management of the service. We spoke with the relatives of two people using the service about their experiences of the care provided. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 10 September 2022

About the service

GA Professionals Homecare Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection two people were receiving personal care who were elderly and required support to remain as independent as possible. 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

People received the right support in relation to risks, such as those relating to age and frailty. There were enough staff to support people safely. The provider checked staff were suitable to work with people through recruitment checks. Staff received training in infection control practices, including the safe use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. People received the right support in relation to their medicines.

The registered manager understood their responsibility to notify CQC of significant events, such as allegations of abuse, as required by law, although there had not been any since the service registered with us. The registered manager and their management and staff team understood their role and responsibilities. The registered manager engaged and consulted well with people using the service, relatives and staff. Staff felt well supported by the registered manager. 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.

Staff received the training and support they needed to meet people’s needs. People were supported to maintain their health and to maintain contact with professionals involved in their care. People received food and drink of their choice.

People liked the staff who supported them and developed good relationships with them. People received consistency of care from a small number of staff who knew them well. People were supported to improve their independent living skills as far as possible and staff treated people with dignity and respect. People were involved in their care and their care plans were based on their individual needs and preferences. People were encouraged to raise any concerns or complaints.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating This was the first inspection since the provider registered with us on 30 August 2018.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted because of the length of time since they registered with us on 30 August 2018. The service had been dormant for much of the time until this inspection which meant we were unable to inspect.

Follow up

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