Assured Social Care

Updated 10 August 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 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 houses, flats and specialist housing.

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 a short period 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 27 July 2022 and ended on 29 July 2022. We visited the location’s office on 28 July 2022.

What we did before the inspection

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 sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and eight relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, care managers, office manager and care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's care records and multiple medication 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 policies and procedures were also reviewed.

Updated 10 August 2022

About the service

Assured Social Care is a domiciliary care agency providing the regulated activity of personal care. At the time of our inspection there were 39 people 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

Risks to people were assessed, and measures were taken to mitigate risk. This ensured people received care and support in a consistent and safe way. Care plans and risk assessments were regularly reviewed and updated with any changes and people’s medicines were managed safely.

Staff had completed mandatory induction training prior to delivering services to people and there was a programme in place to ensure staff would receive refresher training to maintain their skills and knowledge. Staff ensured people received planned, coordinated and person-centred care when they moved between different services, for example discharge from hospital. The service worked closely with external professionals to ensure people received care which met their changing needs.

People and their relatives where appropriate were involved in their care planning and how they wished to be supported. Care plans provided clear information for staff to follow in relation to decisions people had made. People were treated with dignity and respect and staff understood the importance of supporting people to maintain their independence.

The registered manager understood the importance of monitoring the quality performance of the service. There were systems and processes in place which regularly provided this information. Care plans and risk assessments were regularly assessed and reviewed, the management team and staff had a good understanding of how to protect people from harm.

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.

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

Why we inspected

The service was registered with us on 24 February 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.