Leicester

Updated 8 July 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

This 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.

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 48 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 10 June 2021 and ended on 14 June 2021. We visited the office location on 11 June 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered. 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 inspection.

We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and a relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff including the provider, registered manager and a care worker.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 8 July 2021

About the service

Leicester is a domiciliary care service. The service provides care and support to people living in their own homes. 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. At the time of the inspection there were two people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People’s safety was promoted. People felt safe with the staff and the care and support they received. Potential risks to people's safety had been assessed, managed and reviewed regularly.

People were supported by staff to take their medicines and to have a healthy and balanced diet where this was included in their package of care. People had access to health care services when needed and partnership working enabled effective outcomes for people.

Staff recruitment processes were followed. There were enough staff to support people. Systems were in place to ensure staff were fully trained to meet people’s needs and protect them from avoidable harm. Staff had completed safeguarding training, recognised the signs of abuse and knew how to report concerns of potential abuse or poor practice.

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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s consent was gained by staff before care was provided. Decisions made about how people wished to be cared for were recorded in their care plans.

People received person centred care. People and their relatives were involved in the development of their care plans. These were personalised, reviewed and updated as people’s needs and wishes changed. People were supported by the same reliable, kind and caring staff who they trusted. This promoted consistency and continuity of care. Staff promoted people’s independence and respected their rights, privacy and dignity. Staff knew people well and respected their lifestyle choices, cultural diversity and what was important to them.

The registered manager and provider were aware of their responsibilities in meeting their legal obligations. The registered manager kept their knowledge up to date and had maintained their professional registration. They had developed links with the local authority and worked in partnership with health and social care professionals.

Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided. The quality of care people received was monitored. People’s views about the service were sought regularly. Staff were supported, supervised and their training was kept up to date to provide safe care. Everyone we spoke with told us the registered manager was approachable and they were confident concerns would be addressed.

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 17 October 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.