NK Care Limited

Updated 28 September 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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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 homes.

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 short notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we held about the service. We contacted professionals from local authority teams to gather feedback on the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We attempted to contact people who use the service and their relatives. We spoke with two relatives about their experience of the care provided to their loved ones. We sought written feedback from four members of staff. We received feedback from one staff member. We attempted to contact four staff members by phone. We were not successful. We also spoke with the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and medicine records, three staff files in relation to recruitment, staff training and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service including the staff rotas, provider's action plan and policies and procedures were also reviewed.

Updated 28 September 2022

About the service

NK Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides support to older people, people living with dementia and people with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to eight people.

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

People’s risk assessments did not contain sufficiently detailed guidance to help staff protect them from identified risks.

People’s care plans did not contain records of their consent to receive care and treatment.

The registered manager's systems and processes to monitor quality and safety in the service had not been used effectively to identify and address shortfalls.

The registered manager did not maintain records of staff’s communications and interactions with healthcare professionals to meet people’s needs and support their wellbeing.

There were enough staff to provide individualised care which met people’s preferences. People were protected from the risk of harm or abuse by trained staff who had undergone a robust recruitment process. Medicines were managed safely. People were protected from the risk of acquiring an infection.

People's needs and choices were assessed using evidence-based tools. Staff were given the necessary training to provide person centred care which promoted good outcomes for people. People were supported to maintain a healthy food and fluid intake.

People had caring relationships with staff, who supported them to be independent and protected their dignity.

People were involved in writing their care plans and were encouraged to express their views about care provided. Plans were in place to give people individualised and sensitive support in their last days.

The registered manager was committed to delivering compassionate individualised care which improved people’s quality of life.

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 27 November 2020 and this is the first inspection.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of the full report.

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, need for consent and good governance .

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.