NSF Health

Updated 2 September 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by 3 inspectors 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.

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

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 registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 4 July 2023 and ended on 6 July 2023. We visited the location’s office/service on 4 and 6 July 2023.

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 who commission the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

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.

During the inspection

We spoke to 5 people who used the service and received feedback from 4 people’s relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with the registered manager (who is also the nominated individual), a director, a team leader, senior carer and 4 care staff.

Updated 2 September 2023

About the service

NSF Health is a domiciliary care agency providing personal and nursing care to people in their own

homes. 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. At the time of our inspection,

there were 56 people using the service.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

Since our last inspection (at the previous registered location), the provider had implemented various monitoring systems and sought external advice to help them monitor the service and drive improvement. However further development of systems which monitored people’s care call times and care records was needed to ensure people received their care as planned.

People’s care plans described their care needs. Risks to people were assessed and guidance provided to staff in how to minimise these. Where needed, people's nutritional and hydration needs were met.

People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff’s infection control practices helped to prevent the spread of infection.

Staff showed good awareness of people’s individual needs and risks, including those related to people’s protected characteristics and communication needs.

People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse and harm. Any incidents of abuse, accidents complaints or errors were reported to the office. The registered manager kept oversight of any concerns, and where necessary reported incidents to relevant agencies and notified CQC. Lessons learnt from incidents were implemented to help prevent further occurrences.

People’s care and support was delivered in a way which met their needs and preferences.

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.

Staff had been suitably recruited and trained to meet people's needs.

People said staff were caring. Their dignity and privacy were respected at all times and consent was sought by staff before they provided support.

At the time of the inspection, the location did not care or support anyone with a learning disability or an autistic person. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.

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 (at the previous registered location) was requires improvement.

Why we inspected

Since our last inspection the provider had moved their registered location and had registered their new location with us on 16 March 2023. This is the first inspection of the newly registered location. As part of this inspection we followed up on the provider’s action plan, provided to us following the last inspection, to show what they would do and by when to improve.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for NSF Health on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.