Background to this inspection
Updated
17 December 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 completed by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
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 16 November 2021 and ended on 23 November 2021. We visited the office location on 17 November 2021.
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. 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 three people who used the service and six family members about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager/provider and deputy manager.
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
17 December 2021
About the service
SimplyHelpingSeniors Limited provides care and support to people living in their own homes. 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. At the time of our inspection 18 people were receiving personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe whilst being supported by staff and family members were confident their relatives were well-looked after. Risks to people's health and well-being had been assessed and staff had access to information and guidance about how to manage these and keep people safe from harm. Staff had received safeguarding training and knew how to identify and respond to incidents of concern.
The registered manager followed safe recruitment and completed appropriate safety checks on new applicants to ensure they were suitable to work for the service. People and family members told us staff were mostly on-time but would contact them to let them know if they were going to be late which offered them reassurance. Staff told us they were given enough time to complete all tasks required whilst still being able to chat with people and their family members.
Staff had received training in relation to infection prevention and control and received regular updates, particularly in relation to COVID-19. People and family members told us staff wore the correct PPE during visits. The registered manager ensured staff had access to enough supplies of PPE. Staff carried out regular COVID-19 testing in line with current guidance.
People's care and support needs had been assessed and staff were provided with information and guidance about how to meet people's needs effectively. Staff received training relevant to their role and the needs of people they supported. People and family members felt confident staff knew what they were doing and had the right skills and knowledge to carry out their role.
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 and family members spoke positively about the staff and the relationships that had been developed. Staff took time to get to know people and it was evident they knew them and their families well. Family members told us staff often offered to help them with additional tasks which they appreciated.
People received care that was person-centred and based on their wishes and preferences; people and family members were involved in the planning process. Care plans contained information about people's life histories and what was important to them to allow staff to get to know them before providing support. Where required, people were supported to access the community.
The service was not supporting anyone with end-of-life care at the time of our inspection, however they received positive feedback from family members of people who had previously received this level of care. The service had one staff member dedicated to 'night sits' with people in receipt of end-of-life care. This helped offer comfort and reassurance to people and their family members.
The registered manager was passionate about maintaining a service that was 'personal' and encouraged a 'family' feeling with regular offers of support to everyone involved in the service. People, family members and staff all provided positive feedback about the registered managers caring and supportive nature and desire to ensure people received good care from the right staff. Regular checks were completed on the safety and quality of the service in order to promote continuous improvements to people's care.
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 18 October 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out in line with CQC inspection guidance for newly registered services.
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.