Background to this inspection
Updated
21 July 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.
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 28 June 2022 and ended on 6 July 2022. We visited the location’s office on 28 June 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and 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 registered manager, a care co-ordinator and two care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care plans and associated risk assessments and medicines 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 audits, satisfaction surveys and policies and procedures were also reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke with three people and three relatives over the telephone about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke further with the registered manager and gathered additional evidence in relation to the care delivery people received and how the service was run. We received feedback from one health professional.
Updated
21 July 2022
About the service
45 Gildridge Road is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, care was being provided to nine people.
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. The service was mainly providing care and support to people who were in receipt of palliative and end of life care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe and were able to contact the agency if they had any concerns. Staff told us they could also report any concerns with the knowledge that action would be taken. People were supported by regular staff, who arrived at a time that suited them and who stayed for the allocated call time. Those who needed support with medicines told us this was managed well. They said staff always asked if they needed pain relief and checked with them later to see if it had been effective.
Staff were recruited safely and received an induction and opportunities for regular training to ensure they could meet people’s needs. Staff told us they received regular supervision and they valued this. As the service was small the registered manager and care coordinator regularly provided care and led and supported the staff team.
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 their relatives were involved in their care and support. Care plans provided staff with
information about how people preferred to be supported and people told us staff listened to them and provided care in line with their wishes. People and their relatives described staff as, kind, caring and obliging.
People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Records were kept up to date to ensure staff had the information they needed, including when people’s needs changed. Staff spoke positively about the management of the service, the open culture and the support they received. A staff member told us, “I am very happy and looked after well.”
People, their relatives and staff spoke highly of the registered manager. The agency had systems to carry our regular auditing. Surveys had been carried out to seek people’s views on how they could improve. The registered manager had developed positive relationships with professionals who worked with them.
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 September 2020 and operated for a short period but then became dormant until 10 March 2022.
Why we inspected
This was the first inspection of a newly registered service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.