Background to this inspection
Updated
15 February 2020
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.
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 in specialist housing. They delivered care to around 40 people in the Millom area.
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
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 7 January 2020 and finished on 23 January 2020. We visited the office location on 7 January 2020
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 and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We had contact, by telephone, with nine people who used the service (or their relatives) about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the providers, the registered manager and care staff during our visit to the office. We also spoke with three further staff members by telephone.
We contacted three professionals who regularly visit the service.
We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff development. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including rostering of the care delivery.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We received training data and quality assurance records.
Updated
15 February 2020
About the service
Combe Domiciliary Care is a domiciliary care service delivering care and support to people in their own homes living in Millom and surrounding rural areas. At the time of the inspection the provider was supporting approximately 42 people, mainly older adults. The service delivers personal care and also cares for people who may be at the end of life. They also support some people with basic home nursing tasks that have been delegated to them by the community nurses.
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 told us they felt safe. Staff had received suitable training about protecting vulnerable adults. New members of staff had been suitably vetted. Accidents and incidents were responded to appropriately. Team members understood people's needs and had suitable training and experience in their roles. The service employed enough staff to cover the programme of calls in all areas.
The staff team were aware of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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 told us the staff were caring and respectful and made sure confidentiality, privacy and dignity were maintained. Risk assessments and care plans provided detailed guidance for staff. People using the service, or their relatives, as appropriate, had influenced the content. The registered manager ensured the plans reflected the person-centred care that was being delivered. Staff supported people to get health care and staff managed medicines well. The service had good working relationships with health care professionals. Staff supported people to eat well and stay hydrated.
The service had a quality monitoring system and people were asked their views in a number of different ways. Quality assurance was used to support future planning.
The registered manager understood how to manage concerns or complaints appropriately. There had been no complaints.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 07/01/2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the first anniversary of registration.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.