Nucare Agency Ltd

Updated 24 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 Act.

Inspection team

This inspection was completed by two inspectors 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 CQC 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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 31 August 2022 and ended on 1 September 2022. We visited the service’s office on 31 August 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it registered with CQC. We sought feedback from the local authority, professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all this information to plan our 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and 12 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and a selection of medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 24 September 2022

About the service

Nucare Agency Ltd is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care to people living in their own homes. The service mainly provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, there were 47 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 receive personal care, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives were happy with the service they received from Nucare Agency Ltd. Everyone said they would recommend the service to others. People told us they experienced a professional service which met their needs.

People felt safe when receiving care from the service. The provider completed a range of pre-employment checks to assure themselves staff were suitable to work at the service. Some of these checks were not robust enough, however, the provider addressed this issue during the inspection. There were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs. Staff arrived at people’s scheduled care visits on time and delivered person-centred care to each person.

Improvements were needed to some of the provider’s risk assessment processes, to ensure all risks to people were thoroughly considered and mitigated. Accidents and incidents were managed appropriately. People received effective support with their medicines and there were suitable measures in place to prevent the spread of infections.

People’s needs were assessed to check the service was suitable for them. People were involved in this process and they told us they received care which met their preferences. People were happy with the support they received with food and fluids. 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.

Everyone we spoke with told us staff were kind and caring. Staff treated people with dignity and respect, and they supported people to remain as independent as possible. People’s relatives told us staff were very good at communicating with people and this supported them to remain involved in decisions about their care.

People were supported by staff who had a comprehensive understanding of how to deliver person-centred care. The service was flexible and responsive to people’s changing needs. The provider had an appropriate complaints procedure in place and people knew how to complain if they needed to. The provider had systems in place to ensure people received compassionate and coordinated support at the end of their lives.

Without exception, everyone thought the service was well-organised and managed well by the registered manager and provider. Staff were supported to deliver high quality care. The registered manager and provider completed a range of checks on the quality and safety of the service to identify any areas where it needed to improve.

The service had an open, transparent culture. People, their relatives and staff all had opportunities to provide feedback about the service. Staff enjoyed their jobs and were all keen to deliver high-quality care. The service worked alongside other professionals to help ensure people received effective care and support.

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 1 March 2021 and this was their first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about the service.

Follow up

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