Background to this inspection
Updated
6 October 2021
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a registered 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. This was because the service is small, and people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be the registered manager and care staff to speak with us.
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 and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with the Registered Manager, the team manager and three care staff. We were unable to speak with people who used the service due to their current health conditions. We reviewed the feedback provided by 56 families from phone calls, surveys and letters to the provider for the period 1 January to 26 August 2021.
We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
Updated
6 October 2021
About the service
Age UK Northamptonshire provides day and night support to people who are deemed to be in the last eight weeks of life and have chosen to be cared for at home. The service has the capacity to care for around 12 people at a time, equating to over 300 people in a year. At the time of our inspection 11 people were receiving care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received their planned end of life care in line with their wishes and preferences from staff that were compassionate, kind and caring. Staff treated people with respect and dignity.
The service worked closely with the community end of life care team to ensure people received integrated care from all agencies. Staff referred to and followed health professionals’ advice for changes in people’s care.
People’s risks were assessed and mitigated at each care visit to accommodate changes in people’s needs. People and their families were involved in planning their care.
Staff were safely recruited and had received the training, supervision and support they needed to carry out their roles safely. There were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs.
Staff knew how to identify and report concerns to ensure people remained safe. People were provided with information on how to make a complaint. The registered manager shared the information from complaints with staff to improve the service. Incidents were recorded and analysed to identify where lessons could be learnt when things had gone wrong.
People were protected from infection through infection control procedures. Staff had adequate supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and knew what PPE to use in specific circumstances.
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.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 18 June 2018).
Why we inspected
The inspection was part of our routine inspection programme.
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.