This announced inspection took place on 20 and 21 November 2018. Good Neighbour Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. The service is registered with the CQC to provide a service to younger adults and older adults some of whom might be living with dementia, learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, physical disability and mental health needs.
Not everyone using Good Neighbour Care receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection, 12 people were receiving the regulated activity.
There was a registered manager at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.
The last comprehensive inspection was in April 2017. The service was rated requires improvement in the key questions ‘Is the service Safe?’ and ‘Is the service Well-led?’. We found one breach of regulations in relation to not following safe recruitment procedures. The provider did not carry out appropriate recruitment checks to ensure people using services received care from staff who were safe and properly vetted and the registered manager did not provide us with all necessary staff information we requested.
Following the last inspection, the provider completed an action plan stating measures they would implement to address the breach of regulations by July 2017. At this inspection we found that recruitment systems had improved and robust recruitment checks were carried out as standard practice.
People and their relatives informed us that they were happy with the care and support that they received. People told us that they received consistent care from staff that they knew.
People were safe and staff were knowledgeable about reporting any incidents of harm. Staff received training in safeguarding people from abuse. Staff demonstrated that they understood the signs of abuse and how to report any concerns in line with the provider's procedures. People's needs were met by sufficient number of staff.
Risks related to people's lives and wellbeing were assessed, monitored and reviewed to support people's safety. Risk assessments were detailed and contained information to help staff fully understand and manage those risks.
People were supported with their medicines in a safe way. People's nutritional needs were met, and they were supported with their health care needs when required. The service worked with other organisations to ensure that people received co-ordinated care and support.
People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect and they were supported to remain as independent as they wished.
People were involved and made decisions about all aspects of their care. They were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The registered manager and staff worked in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to ensure they obtained people's consent before providing care and support.
People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint and were confident that if they did, the registered manager would respond to them appropriately.
Staff received training to ensure they had the skills to care for people safely. They were supported in their role and received regular training and supervision to provide effective care.
There was an open and inclusive culture in the service. Staff told us they felt comfortable to approach the registered manager for advice and guidance.
Regular feedback was obtained from people using the service and their relatives. The registered manager monitored the service through a system of audits and used these to improve the quality and safety of the service.