Archived: Novus Care Limited

Updated 10 August 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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 took place on 24 June 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and the manager was sometimes out of the office. We needed to be sure that the registered manager of the company would be available to speak with us on the day of our inspection.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

During the inspection we went to the provider's office and spoke with the manager, and two service directors. The manager identified the names of people who used the service or their families and a list of staff. We spoke with four people receiving care over the phone.

We spoke with five care staff and we also contacted the local authority for their view of the service.

We reviewed the care records of five people who used the service, and looked at the records of staff and other records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 10 August 2016

This inspection took place on 24 June 2016 and was announced. We told the provider one day before our visit that we would be coming. Novus Care Limited provides domiciliary care services to older people who live in their own home. At the time of our inspection there were thirteen people using the service.

The service did not have a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 200 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.’ At the time of this inspection we saw the current new manager had submitted an application to CQC to be registered.

People told us they felt safe with the support they received from staff. There were arrangements in place to help safeguard them from the risk of abuse. There were appropriate policies and procedures in place to inform care workers on how to report potential or suspected abuse. Care workers understood what constituted abuse and were aware of the steps to take to protect people.

Risk assessments and risk management plans to reduce the likelihood of harm were in place. There were safe recruitment procedures in place to help protect people from the risks of being cared for by staff assessed to be unfit or unsuitable.

Care workers had received training in relevant areas of their work. This training enabled them to support people effectively.

Care workers understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Their consent was sought and documented.

People were supported to eat and drink in a safe manner. Their support plans included an assessment of their nutrition and hydration needs. People told us they chose what they ate and care workers supported them with meals.

People told us they were treated with dignity and respect. Care workers understood the need to protect people’s privacy and dignity. People confirmed care workers knocked on their doors before they could enter their homes.

People were satisfied with the service and had not needed to use the complaints procedures. Any minor issues people had raised with the service were addressed immediately and people were confident that complaints would be dealt with effectively.

Care staff gave positive feedback about the management of the service. The manager was approachable and fully engaged with providing good quality care for people who used the service.

There were effective quality assurance processes in place to monitor the quality of the service and these were used to continually review and improve the quality of care for people.