Archived: Old Friends Care

Updated 14 August 2019

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by one inspector and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service was had a provider registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means 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. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 26 June 2019 and ended on 28 June 2019. We visited the office location on 27 June 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with nine people who used the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the provider, the manager, deputy manager and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at staff training records and complaints and compliments received. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 14 August 2019

About the service

Old Friends Care is a service providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service supports people with all types of needs. One hundred and fifteen people were supported with their care needs at the time of the inspection.

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

People were exceptionally positive about the staff who cared for them and told us staff’s kindly and warm approach enhanced their lives and well-being. Staff valued the bonds they had built with the people they cared for and knew people exceptionally well. Staff were encouraged to provide exceptionally kind care by the culture set by senior staff. This included recognising and celebrating when staff provided exceptional care to people. People told us staff often went the extra mile to support them and their relatives and to show them they were valued. People were empowered to make their own decisions because of the culture of the service and the way they were cared for. Staff advocated for people, where people wanted this. This had led to improvements in people’s lives. People and relatives highlighted staff were respectful and care was provided sensitively by staff, so people’s dignity needs were met.

People were supported to manage their safety and reduce risks they experienced. People’s wider safety needs and desire for independence was considered by staff. People could rely on staff to provide them with them they had planned together. There were sufficient staff to care for people, and staff noticed if people needed extra help. People’s medicines were managed safely, and checks were made to ensure they were administered as prescribed. Staff took learning from any concerns and incidents, so risks to people were further reduced.

People decided what care they wanted, and care plans reflected people’s preferences and needs. Relatives views were sought on the care planned for their family members, when people wanted this. Staff took action to support people to communicate their wishes, and to involve people in reviewing their care. This helped to ensure people were fully included in discussions and were able to make informed choices about their care. People had confidence any concerns or complaints would be promptly addressed. Staff sensitively supported people at the end of their lives. This support was extended to relatives and staff. The manager planned to further develop their understanding of people’s preferences in respect of their end of life care.

People benefited from receiving a service where there was a commitment to developing staff skills and supporting them. People were supported by staff to access help from other health and social care professionals, so they would enjoy the best well-being possible. People’s food and drink preferences were met. 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, relatives and staff were positive about the way the service was led, and how staff were guided to focused on people’s needs they cared for. The manager, senior staff and provider checked the quality of the care provided and worked with people, relatives and other organisations to drive through improvements to people’s care.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good. (Published 10 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.