Updated 8 August 2023
We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.
Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.
Inspection team
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. The Expert by Experience made calls to people and relatives about their experience of using the service.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. 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 carried out the inspection remotely and needed to arrange an initial video call with appropriate people from the management team.
Inspection activity started on 7 July 2023 and ended on 11 July 2023.
What we did before 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. 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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location's office. We used technology such as video calls, telephone calls and emails to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.
During the inspection
We spoke with 7 people who use the service and 4 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with and obtained feedback from 6 members of staff including the registered manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people's care records, and medication records. A variety of documents relating to the management of the service, including policies, stakeholder feedback and action plans were reviewed.