Background to this inspection
Updated
29 June 2023
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 1 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 provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit. 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 5 May 2023 and ended on 11 May 2023. We visited the location’s office on 10 May 2023.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since they had registered with us. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We made telephone contact with 1 person, 3 relatives and 3 care staff to gain their views of the service. We used electronic file sharing to enable us to review some documentation. We engaged with the registered manager through emails due to them being on a period of agreed absence. We spoke with a member of the management team based in the office. We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 care plans including the daily notes and medication administering records. We reviewed 2 staff's employment records and staff training records. We reviewed policies and procedures related to the service and discussed quality monitoring used for the provider to assure themselves people received a safe service.
Updated
29 June 2023
About the service
Bit Healthcare is a domiciliary care agency which is registered to provide personal care and support to people in their own homes. The service is registered to provide support to older people or younger adults living with dementia, mental health support needs, a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder and a physical disability. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 3 people. 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.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
At the time of the inspection, the location did not care or support an autistic person or anyone with a learning disability. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support:
People and their relatives were satisfied with the care and support provided and told us they had no complaints. There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to undertake care calls and support people’s care needs. People received their medicines as prescribed. People were supported by staff who understood and were trained in recognising the signs of abuse. The provider had a policy and procedure in place should any concerns be raised. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Right Care:
People's privacy and dignity was respected and people received personalised care and support from staff they knew and understood their needs. Staff were subject to recruitment checks and completed an induction as well as ongoing training to ensure they were safe, suitable, and had the necessary skills to provide safe care.
Right Culture:
Systems and processes to monitor the service were not always effective in ensuring records were kept up to date and were completed in sufficient detail to support staff to work safely consistently. The provider was in the process of developing and implementing quality check systems.
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 11 May 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.