Elsah Healthcare

Updated 25 June 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

A single inspector visited the service on 14 April 2022 and an expert by experience made phone calls to people and their relatives to seek their views about the service. 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 the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 14 April 2022 and ended on 25 April 2022. We visited the location’s office on 14 April 2022.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included details about incidents the provider must tell us about, such as any safeguarding alerts that had been raised. 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 sought feedback from commissioners and the local authority safeguarding team. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people and 11 relatives of people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of care staff and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records, five staff recruitment files and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

Updated 25 June 2022

About the service

Elsah Healthcare is a domiciliary care service, which provides care and support to people living in their homes. At the time of the inspection, 14 people were using the service. 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.

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

Staff were not always effectively deployed to attend people’s calls as required. The quality assurance process was not robust to identify these concerns and to make improvements in a timely way.

People and their relatives gave us positive feedback about their safety and told us staff treated them well. The service had systems and processes in place to administer prescribed medicines, however some medicines records were not up to date. People were protected from the risk of infection. The provider had a system to manage accidents and incidents.

Staff received support through training, supervision and staff meetings to ensure they could meet people’s needs. Staff told us they felt supported and could approach the management team members at any time for support. The provider worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). Staff asked for people’s consent, where they had the capacity to consent to their care. 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.

An assessment of people’s needs had been completed to ensure these could be met by staff. The management team and staff worked with external professionals to ensure people were supported to maintain good health. People and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care and support. People were treated with dignity, and their privacy was respected, and supported to be as independent in their care as possible.

People’s care plans reflected their current needs with sufficient guidance for staff to follow. Staff showed an understanding of equality and diversity. Staff respected people’s choices and preferences. People knew how to make a complaint. The registered manager knew what to do if someone required end-of life care.

There was a management structure at the service and staff were aware of the roles of the management team. They told us the management team members were supportive and approachable.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was registered with us on 10 June 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take, at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.