SureCare (Preston & South Ribble, Fylde & Wyre)

Updated 28 November 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection site visit activity started on 23 October 2018. 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.

Before the inspection we looked at all the information we had about the service. This information included statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. The provider had also completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also contacted the local authority responsible for monitoring the quality of the service to obtain their views. We used this information to help inform our inspection planning.

We visited the office location on 23 and 24 October 2018. We met with both registered managers, a representative of the provider, four members of staff including care coordinators. We looked at seven people's care records, staff training and recruitment records and records relating to the management of the service. We also spoke on the phone with four people using the service and seven of their relatives to gain their views about the care and support they received.

Updated 28 November 2018

This inspection took place on the 22 and 23 October 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider two days notice of the inspection as we needed to make sure the registered managers would be available.

At our last inspection on 18 February 2016 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Surecare (Preston and South Ribble) is a domiciliary care agency located in Chorley, Lancashire. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It mainly provides a service to older adults. At the time of the inspection it provided care and support to 78 people.

The service had two registered managers in post. They knew the service well and were knowledgeable about their responsibilities with regard to the Health and Social Care Act 2014. They demonstrated good knowledge of the needs of the management and care staffing team.

We found the service had appropriate and robust safeguarding adults procedures in place and that staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. People using the service said they felt safe and that staff treated them with kindness and understanding. Staff understood how to safeguard the people they supported from abuse. There was a whistle-blowing procedure available and staff said they would use it if they needed to.

Medicine records showed that people were receiving their medicines, where required, as prescribed by health care professionals. People had access to health care professionals when required. Staff had completed training specific to meeting the needs of people using the service and they received regular supervision. The registered managers and staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and acted according to this legislation. People’s care files included assessments relating to their dietary and other essential support needs.

Assessments were undertaken to identify people’s support needs before they started using the service. Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care. People were aware of the complaints' procedure and said they were confident their complaints would be listened to, investigated and action taken if necessary.

All of the people we spoke with told us staff turned up on time to deliver care that they were scheduled to complete. We saw that staff at the office used a comprehensive monitoring system so that they could see when staff had arrived at a person's home. Where staff were seen to be running late, they took action to reduce the likelihood of late calls. This system was also linked to people's care and support records including medicines documentation and was subject to regular monitoring in the office. This helped to ensure that people received the right level of care and support at the right time.

The provider was committed to continuous improvement and used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included implementation of technology, annual satisfaction surveys, spot checks and care reviews. We found people were satisfied with the service they were receiving. The registered managers and staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and were committed to providing a good standard of care and support to people in their care.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.