Candle Flame Care Ltd

Updated 15 October 2021

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

The 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 houses and flats. They also provide care and support to people living in a shared housing (supported living) setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. They were also the owner of the business. This means that they 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 registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 30 September 2021 and ended on 4 October 2021. We visited the office location on 30 September 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. 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 a relative of a person who used the service about their experience of the care provided, this was because the person using the service were unable to tell us about their experience.

We spoke with 3 members of staff including the registered manager. We sought feedback from two health and social care professionals about their experience of working with Candle Flame Care Ltd.

We reviewed a range of records. This included one person’s care 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We contacted a relative who had previous experience of using the service.

Updated 15 October 2021

Candle Flame Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing care and support to children and adults living in their own homes. They are registered to provide personal care.

The provider also provided support to people in a supported living service and an outreach service supporting people in their own homes with general welfare and social support. At the time of the inspection, the service was supporting 13 people, only one person was receiving a regulated activity.

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

Candle Flame Care Limited was providing support to one person with personal care at the time of the inspection. In the last twelve months they had supported two other people. Relatives spoke positively about care and support they received from Candle Flame Care Limited. Care was person centred and people were asked and involved in how they wanted to be supported. The registered manager spent time with people to find out what they wanted from the service.

People were supported by consistent and familiar care staff. Staff received a comprehensive induction and ongoing training to enable them to support people safely. Staff knew how to keep people safe and free from avoidable harm. Staff were confident in the management of the service to act on any concerns or suggestions they may have.

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.

The registered manager and staff had a good understanding of supporting people safely during the current pandemic. There had been sufficient personal protective equipment, staff training and regular updates throughout the pandemic. Regular COVID-19 testing was in place for all staff and results were passed to the management team.

Relatives and staff spoke positively about how the service was managed. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service. This included gaining feedback from people who used the service or their representative. Staff felt supported and valued in their roles.

The registered manager regularly worked alongside the staff to provide personal care. The service was still in its infancy and recruitment was ongoing as new referrals were being received. There was a plan to recruit field support workers as the business grew.

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 01/05/2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to provide the service with a 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.