We carried out a review of the data available to us about Surrey SCP on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Surrey SCP, you can give feedback on this service.
Surrey SCP is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection 76 people were using the service.
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
People and their relatives were complimentary about the service and said the care and support met they or their loved one’s needs. People were supported by staff that were kind, caring, respectful and maintained their privacy and dignity. People’s needs were assessed and regularly reviewed to ensure the service was suitable and care and support planned to meet their needs. Staff supported people’s diverse needs in a caring way and without discrimination. People were involved in making decisions about their care and support needs and where possible, people were encouraged to do things they could for themselves to promote their independence.
People were protected from the risk of avoidable harm. Risks to people had been identified, assessed and there were appropriate measures in place to manage risks safely. Where accidents and incidents had occurred, these were reported, recorded and any lessons learnt were used to improve the quality of the service. Staff knew their responsibility to protect people from the risk of abuse. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed by healthcare professionals. People were protected from the risk of infection because staff followed appropriate infection control procedures to prevent the spread of diseases.
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 were supported with induction, training and supervision to ensure they had the knowledge and skills to perform their roles. People were supported to eat and drink for their health and wellbeing and to access to healthcare service.
People’s communication needs had been assessed and met. People and their relatives said they knew how to make a complaints and the service had effective ways of handling complaints. People had been consulted about how they would like to be supported at the end of their lives to ensure their wishes were met and respected.
The service worked in partnership with key organisations to achieve best outcomes for people. The service was charitable and proactive in supporting people within their local community including those in hospital and care homes. The service enabled people to be active members of their local community and supported people to celebrate important events or occasions in their lives.
The service had systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service and to continuously learn to drive improvements. People, their relatives and staff views were sought to improve on the quality of the service. The provider had incentives in place to retain and reward staff performance and to promote consistent and quality 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 26 January 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.
Surrey SCP is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to adults living with physical disabilities or cognitive difficulties in their own homes. Services provided include personal care, respite care, night sitting, live-in, domestic help, shopping, preparation of light meals and companionship on outings and appointments. One hundred and twenty people received care from the agency at the time of our inspection.
There was a registered manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service in November 2016. Like registered providers, registered managers are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Staff were trained in how to protect people from abuse and harm. They knew how to recognise signs of abuse and how to report any concerns.
Risk assessments were centred on the needs of each individual. They included clear measures to reduce identified risks and guidance for staff to follow to make sure people were protected from harm. Accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored to identify how risks of recurrence could be reduced.
There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs. Staffing levels were calculated according to people’s changing needs and travel time was taken into account to reduce lateness of visiting calls. The registered manager followed safe recruitment practices.
Staff were trained in the safe administration of medicines. Records relevant to the administration of medicines were monitored to ensure they were accurately kept and medicines were administered safely to people according to their needs.
Staff knew each person well and understood how to meet their support needs. People told us, “They [care workers] know my father well and understand what he needs and how to talk with him.” Each person’s needs and personal preferences had been assessed before care and support were provided, and these were continually reviewed. This ensured that the staff could provide care in a way that met people’s particular needs and wishes.
Staff had completed the training they needed to care for people in a safe way. They had the opportunity to receive further training specific to the needs of the people they supported, such as in dementia care, catheter care and end of life care. All members of care staff received regular one to one supervision sessions and were scheduled for an annual appraisal.
All care staff and management were trained in the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and were knowledgeable about the requirements of the legislation.
Staff sought and obtained people’s consent before they provided care. When people declined, their wishes were respected and people’s refusals were recorded and monitored. Staff supported people with their meals and knew about people’s dietary preferences and restrictions.
Relatives told us that staff communicated effectively with their loved ones, responded to their needs promptly and treated them with kindness and respect. Satisfaction surveys and feedback indicated people were very satisfied with how care and support were delivered.
Clear information about the service, the management, the facilities, and how to complain was provided to people. Information was available in a format that met people’s needs when they had visual impairment.
People’s privacy was respected and people were assisted with their personal care needs in a way that respected their dignity.
People were referred to health care professionals when needed and in a timely way. Personal records included people’s individual plans of care, likes and dislikes and interests. The staff promoted people’s independence and encouraged them to do as much as possible for themselves in order to maintain their skills.
People’s care plans were person-centred, reviewed regularly with their participation or their families’ involvement when this was appropriate. Care plans were updated when needs changed to ensure these were met by staff in practice.
The management team took account of people’s feedback. People’s views were sought, considered and acted upon. The provider sent questionnaires regularly to people to obtain their feedback on the quality of the service. Regular quality assurance visits were carried out in people’s homes to check that the care delivered met people’s needs. The results were analysed and action was taken in response to people’s views.
Staff told us they felt valued by the management team and the care coordinators. Their suggestions were taken in consideration by the management team. The registered manager notified the Care Quality Commission of any significant events that affected people or the service. A robust system of audits was carried out to identify how the service could improve, and as a result improvements were implemented to enhance people’s experience of the service.