Updated 30 April 2022
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 one inspector and an Expert by Experience who made phone calls to relatives. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
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 14 March 2022 and ended on 17 March 2022. We visited the location’s office/service on 16 March 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it had registered with us. We sought feedback from professionals who work with the service. 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 all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with the registered manager who is also the nominated individual. A nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We reviewed a range of records. This included people's care records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service, including procedures and governance records.
After the inspection
We spoke with eight relatives of people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We also sought feedback from care staff and professionals who had knowledge of the service.