Archived: CRG Homecare - Salford

Updated 5 March 2021

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 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector, a medicines inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission, who was going to be deregistering. A new manager was in post who had started the process of registering with CQC. Once a manager is registered, this means 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

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 16 December 2020 and ended on 23 December 2020. We visited the office location on 16 December 2020.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the 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. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with 12 people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the manager, regional director and care workers.

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

Updated 5 March 2021

About the service

CRG Homecare Salford is a domiciliary care service based in Salford and provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. The services are operated by Health Care Resourcing Group Limited.

The service had 300 clients, 208 of which receive 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

Infection prevention and control (IPC) policies and procedures were in place, though staff were not always following these processes.

Supervisions and appraisals were taking place, but these were not happening as often as their policy indicated. A small number of staff training courses were not up to date and required renewal.

We have made a recommendation about staff supervisions and appraisals.

Internal audits showed there had been no missed visits, however people we spoke with told us they did not always receive their care visits. Some records were not always adequately detailed to ensure people received appropriate care. A new quality assurance system had been implemented to monitor and audit accidents and incidents.

We have made a recommendation about the provider reviewing their audit system.

People received their medicines as prescribed. There were systems in place to ensure the safe management and supply of medicines were effective and did not place people at the risk of harm.

People told us they felt the service was safe and most staff gave us positive feedback about the manager. Staff were recruited safely, with appropriate checks carried out when their employment commenced.

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. Decision specific mental capacity assessments were being completed where necessary.

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 (8 November 2019) and there were two breaches of regulations. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 25, 26 and 30 September 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve good governance and staffing.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions safe, effective and well-led.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has remained the same. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for CRG Homecare - Salford on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service.

We have identified a new breach in relation to safe IPC processes at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.