Background to this inspection
Updated
25 October 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 12 and 14 September 2018 and was announced.
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.
Inspection site visit activity started on 12 September 2018 and ended on 14 September 2018. We visited the office location on 12 September 2018 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. We also shadowed care staff and observed them in their roles with people, on the 14 September 2018.
The inspection team consisted of one 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.
We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed information within notifications sent to us by the provider. Notifications contain information about specific events and incidents that the provider is required to tell us about in law. We reviewed the feedback we received from the local authority business support team.
We spoke with the registered manager, new office manager, office coordinator, three care staff, a care team supervisor and sought the views of the West Sussex County Council (WSCC) ‘lead professional’ from the care and business support team. We also spoke with six people and five relatives using telephone calls to seek their views. We visited two people in their own home when we shadowed care staff during lunchtime care visits to them. We also reviewed the responses to nine questionnaires completed by the care staff who worked for the agency.
Care plan records were reviewed for five people who used the service, which included risk assessments of how their care was delivered safely for them. Records were viewed for five care staff which included, recruitment checks, staff supervision and spot check records, and training. We looked at records for accidents and incidents, policies and procedures and quality assurance processes which provided us with information about how the provider managed the quality and safety of the service for people. We also reviewed the provider’s action plan following our previous inspection in November 2017.
Updated
25 October 2018
This inspection took place on the 12 and 14 September 2018 and was announced.
Following the last inspection in November 2017, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve all key question(s) to at least ‘Good.’ At the previous inspection we found four breaches of Regulation for 11 (consent), 12 (safe care and treatment), 17 (good governance) and 18 (staffing) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. At this inspection we found that the provider had worked to address these breaches. We did not find any breaches of regulation at this inspection. However, the service was not always Well-led. People did not always receive a well-coordinated or reliable service. At times people’s care was late. Communication was not always proactive between the office and people who used the service. This was being addressed by the registered manager and new care manager at the time of this inspection. Policies and procedures required review to update in line with best practice and legislative changes. We recommend that the service updated their policies and procedures.
Not everyone using SCC Agency Ltd receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of this inspection the agency provided personal care to approximately 102 people living in their own homes in the West Sussex areas. The agency supported people living with a variety of identified needs, including those who may be living with dementia, mental health, older people, younger adults, people living with physical disability and sensory impairment.
There was a registered manager in post. 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’s needs were assessed with risks also being considered. When people required support with their medicines, this was managed safely. Risks associated with infection control were managed safely and care staff used protective equipment such as gloves and aprons.
Staff were supervised and received appropriate training, ‘spot checks’ and competency checks to make sure they were skilled in their roles.
Staff and the management team understood the basic principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and people were asked for their consent before interventions and care was provided.
People told us that care staff were kind and compassionate and people valued the support provided to them by the agency. Care staff aimed to provide responsive, person-centred care to people.
Complaints were listened to and responded to appropriately.
People and those who were important to them, were involved in the review and planning of their care. People were involved in decisions about their care.
People did not receive end of life care at the time of this inspection.