Background to this inspection
Updated
30 October 2021
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.
As part of this inspection we also looked at the provider’s infection control arrangements, so we could understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak.
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 home care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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
This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because we needed to be sure the registered manager/owner would all be available for us to speak with during our site visit. This two-day inspection started on 7 October, when we visited the provider's offices, and finished on 11 October 2021, when we made telephone contact with a range of people using the service and their relatives.
What we did before the inspection
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. 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 reviewed all the key information providers are required to send us about their service. This information helps support and plan our inspections.
During the inspection
During our site visit we spoke in-person with the registered manager/owner.
We also looked at a range of records. This included three peoples care plans, four staff files and other documents relating to the overall management and governance of the service.
Following the site visit inspection
We sought people’s views about the agency by contacting two people who received a home care service from them, five relatives and three members of the care staff team.
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We requested the provider send us additional evidence after our inspection in relation to staffs pre-employment recruitment checks and their Statement of Purpose. We received the information we requested, which was used as part of our inspection.
Updated
30 October 2021
About the service
Goldtech Care Services Ltd is a home care agency that provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, eight mainly older people were receiving a home care service from this agency.
People’s experience of using this service
People told us they were happy with the standard of personal care and support they received from this agency and would recommend them to others. People also told us they and their family members were supported by caring staff who treated them with respect and dignity.
People received consistently good-quality care from staff who had the right mix of knowledge, skills and support to perform their roles and responsibilities well.
However, staff had not received any autism awareness training, despite supporting a person who was autistic. We discussed this training issue with the registered manager/owner at the time of our inspection, who agreed to ensure all staff who needed it would receive autism awareness training by the end of 2021. Progress made by the provider to achieve this stated aim will be closely monitored by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
People were kept safe and protected against the risk of avoidable harm and abuse. People received continuity of care from a small group of staff who were familiar with their personal needs and wishes, daily routines, and whose fitness to work in adult social care had been thoroughly assessed. Medicines were well-organised. Staff followed current best practice guidelines regarding the prevention and control of infection, including those associated with COVID-19.
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 were supported to access food and drink that met their dietary needs and wishes. Assessments of people’s support needs and wishes were carried out before they started receiving a home care service from this agency. People were supported to stay healthy and well, and to access relevant community health and social care services as and when required.
People were treated equally and had their human rights and diversity respected, including their cultural and spiritual needs and wishes. Staff treated people with dignity and upheld their right to privacy. People typically described staff as “caring” and “friendly”. People were encouraged and supported to maintain their independent living skills and do as much for themselves as they were willing and capable of doing so safely.
People’s care plans were person-centred, which helped staff provide them with the individualised home care and support they needed. Staff ensured they communicated and shared information with people in a way they could easily understand. People were encouraged to make decisions about the care and support they received at home and staff respected their informed choices. The provider had systems in place to manage complaints. Where appropriate, people’s end of life wishes and contacts were known and recorded for staff to refer to.
People receiving a home care service, their relatives and staff were complimentary about the way the registered manager/owner ran the agency, and how approachable and accessible they were. The quality and safety of the service people received was routinely monitored by the registered manager and they recognised the importance of learning lessons when things went wrong. The registered manager promoted an open and inclusive culture which sought the views of people receiving a home care service, their relatives, and staff. The provider worked in close partnership with other health and social care professionals and agencies to plan and deliver people’s packages of home care.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at the last inspection
This service was registered with us on 16 December 2020. This is their first comprehensive inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on the service no longer being dormant after becoming active in December 2020.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information, we may inspect sooner.