This inspection took place on 19 and 24 October 2016 and was announced. The registered manager was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service. This was to ensure members of the management team were available to talk to. There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Star Care UK Limited provides personal care to people living in their own homes in different boroughs around the London area. At the time of our visit, they were providing personal care to 573 people. The service had 200 staff in their employment.
People felt the management team and staff listened to them and responded to any concerns in a positive way. They knew how to complain if they had to and felt the service was managed well. However, we found the registered manager did not submit statutory notifications to the Care Quality Commission, as required by law.
People felt safe using the service. They trusted the staff, who they said were kind and caring.
There were systems in place to ensure people were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff were able to recognise potential signs of abuse and were confident reporting concerns regarding people's safety.
We found risks to people and their environment were assessed in order to protect them from avoidable harm. Staff had a good understanding of how care and support should be provided in order to keep people safe.
People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been recruited safely. The registered manager ensured enough staff were available to cover for emergencies. Staff received on-going training, and they felt supported in their roles and understood their responsibilities.
Staff were trained and aware of the procedures to follow to ensure medicines were managed safely. People received their medicines on time and as prescribed.
Records showed people had their needs assessed, and a care plan developed to meet their individual needs. People were involved in the planning and reviews of their care and support. We have made about care planning.
Staff had good knowledge of the needs of the people they cared for. They provided support in a way that promoted people's dignity, independence and respected their privacy.
People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare when required. They were assisted with their dietary and nutritional needs as requested.
The provider had suitable arrangements for obtaining consent, assessing mental capacity and recording decisions made in people's best interests. Staff demonstrated an understanding of how they would obtain consent to care.
There were systems to monitor the quality of care which included audits, surveys and quality checks. The management team visited people on a regular basis to ensure they were happy with the care and support they were receiving. Unannounced checks were also carried on staff to monitor their practice and performance.