ULTICare Limited

Updated 2 February 2022

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 team consisted of two inspectors.

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 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 24 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 the 14 December 2021 and ended on the 23 December 2021. We visited the office location on the 15 December 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since their last inspection. We looked at details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as allegations of abuse, and we sought feedback from the local authority. 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 this information to plan our inspection.

We spoke with two people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and the nominated individual at the service. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We spoke with two carers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people's care records. We looked at one staff file in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at policies and information regarding audits.

Updated 2 February 2022

About the service

ULTICare Limited provides personal care to people living in their own homes who may live with dementia, poor mental health, a physical disability or sensory impairment. There were two people receiving personal care at the time of our inspection.

Not everyone who uses the service receives 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 and what we found

People were supported by staff who knew how to report any concerns of abuse to keep people safe. Staff followed good practice guidance to prevent the spread of infection.

People were supported by staff who understood their needs and ensured these were met. Staff received training relevant to their role.

People told us staff were kind and caring and were encouraged to maintain their independence.

People were supported by staff who knew people well.

People were asked their view of the service and staff felt that the management team were approachable.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

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 (9 September 2019).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

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.