Updated 31 July 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector, an assistant inspector and an expert by experience. The expert by experience had personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. In this instance they had experience of supporting an older person living with dementia.
Service and service type: This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service primarily to older adults.
Not everyone using Premier Home care receives support with a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Notice of inspection: We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection as it is a domiciliary care office and staff may not have been available at the office to support us with the inspection.
Inspection site visit activity started on 2 May 2019 and ended on 3 May 2019. We visited the office location on 2 May 2019 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. On 3 May 2019 we visited people in their own homes and then returned to the office to give feedback.
What we did: Prior to the inspection we gathered the information we held about the provider and used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used this and information from professionals and other available information to develop the plan for the inspection. The provider had completed a more recent PIR which was given to the inspection team during the inspection.
During the inspection we reviewed records held at the office including seven people’s care files, medicines records, meeting minutes and other information used to deliver the regulated activity. We spoke with 13 staff, six of those over the phone and others in the office or supporting people in their homes. We spoke with the registered manager and other managers, team leaders and care staff. We received information from professionals working with the service and spoke with 14 people receiving a service and two relatives of people receiving a service.
After the inspection we had conversations with professionals. Both during and after the inspection we requested additional information from the provider which was received as requested.