Delta Care Ltd - Chorley

Updated 13 February 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

The inspection team

This inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

Delta care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of inspection 67 people were receiving a service from the agency. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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.

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 the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people in the office to speak with us. Inspection activity started on 18 December 2019 and ended on 17 January 2020. We visited the office on 18 and 19 December 2019 and made phone calls to people who use the service and staff on 17 January 2020.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we held about the service such as notifications. These are events that happen in the service that the provider is required to tell us about. We also 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager, and the provider. We reviewed a range of records including call logs, recruitment files, care records and quality assurance audits. We made phone calls to four members of care staff and five people who received a service or their relatives.

Updated 13 February 2020

About the service

Delta Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency based in Chorley which provides care and support to people living in their own homes. There were 67 people receiving a service at the time of inspection.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

People felt safe and protected from avoidable harm. Staff had received training in safeguarding and knew how to recognise and raise any concerns they may have. People who had support with medicines received them from trained staff whose competencies had been checked.

Staff received appropriate training to enable them to support people effectively. The majority of people felt staff understood their needs and how to support them. Some people felt regular staff changes meant they had to explain what they needed sometimes. 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.

People told us they felt staff were caring and respected them and their homes. People told us staff put them at ease when providing personal care. Staff understood the importance of dignity and respected people's individual characteristics. People's equality needs had been considered.

People received person centred care based on their assessed needs and preferences. Regular reviews had been held when people's needs changed and their care plans adjusted. One person felt they did not have regular reviews but were happy with the care provided.

The service was well-led. There had been some changes to the management team and people told us they felt communication and organisation had improved. Staff told us they felt the service was well managed and they were clear what was expected of them. The provider had effective quality monitoring systems in place. People and staff told us they had been kept informed and given opportunities to feedback their experiences.

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

Rating at the last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (final report published 28 June 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. We had however received some concerns relating to the service not always providing two staff for two carer packages. We have addressed this in the safe domain.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we received about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.