We carried out a review of the data available to us about Care Choice North West Limited 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 Care Choice North West Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Pier House is a domiciliary care service that provides support and personal care to adults in their own homes. 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. At the time of our inspection 90 people were receiving support with personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Everyone involved in the running of the service exuded passion for delivering care that was person-centred and gave people a meaningful life. All Pier House staff went above and beyond to provide people with positive outcomes and experiences; people were consistently placed at the heart of the service.
People told us their lives had greatly improved due to the consistent support they received from staff. Achieving desired outcomes and providing truly individualised care and support was central to care planning and delivery. Professionals spoke extremely highly of the person-centred care and innovative methods used by the service.
It was evident the values held by staff had been cascaded down from the registered manager who showed great passion for making a difference to people’s lives. There was a strong emphasis placed on empowering people and involving them in the running of the service. The registered manager was continuously looking at ways to improve the quality of care and had been highly praised by professionals for their collaborative working. Due to the excellent working relationships between staff and health and social care professionals, people received a package of care that was right for them.
People told us they felt safe with the staff who supported them. Staff knew how to recognise abuse and were confident reporting safeguarding concerns. Risks to people had been identified and plans were in place to manage these. There were enough staff with the right skills, knowledge and experience to meet people’s needs.
People’s needs had been holistically assessed and guidance was in place for staff to follow to ensure they delivered effective care and support. Staff received a detailed induction and on-going practical training to ensure they maintained the right skills to provide individualised care and support. Staff spoke highly of the training and support they received.
People were supported to live healthier lives. Staff educated people and family members about healthy eating and supported people with meals where needed. People were supported to access health care appointments and staff followed guidance from health and social care professionals.
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.
People and family members spoke highly of staff and how kind and caring they were. Staff took time to chat and get to know them and it was evident positive relationships had been developed. People were treated with dignity and respect and staff understood the importance of keeping information private.
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 8 July 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.
Pier House is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care to people in their own homes. The service is run by Care Choice North West Ltd. The service is located in Hallgate, Wigan which is close to the town centre. At the time of the inspection, there were approximately 58 people using the service.
There was a registered manager in post. 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 people we spoke with told us they felt safe. The staff we spoke with had a good understanding about safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures and told us they wouldn’t hesitate to report concerns.
We looked at how medication was handled at one of the houses we visited. We found Medication Administration Records (MARs) were signed by staff when medication had been administered. People who used the service also told us they received their medication as part of their care package and told us they always received it on time.
We found there were sufficient staff to care for people safely, although several relatives told us there had previously been issues with late visits. In these instances, we were told the provider had taken appropriate action to rectify these concerns. Staff spoken with didn’t raise any concerns about staffing numbers within the service and said their rotas were well managed.
Staff were recruited safely, with appropriate checks undertaken before they began working with people who used the service. This included ensuring Disclosure Barring Service/Criminal Records Bureau (DBS/CRB) checks were undertaken and references from previous employers sought.
The staff we spoke with told us they had access to sufficient training and supervision as part of their ongoing development. Staff said they felt supervision was an important part of their job role where they could discuss different aspects of their work.
Staff provided support to people to eat and drink as necessary. This included assistance with food preparation and ensuring people were left with something to drink when their call had finished.
The people we spoke and their relatives with told us they were happy with the care provided by the service. People told us staff treated them with dignity and respect and promoted their independence as much as possible.
Each person who used the service had a care plan in place and we saw a copy was kept in the person’s home and at the office. The care plans provided an overview of each person’s care needs and were updated when things changed. The people we spoke with also said an initial assessment was undertaken, when they first started using the service. This enabled the service to understand the level of care people needed.
The service sent satisfaction questionnaires to people, asking for their comments about the service. This enabled the service to continually improve based on feedback from people and anything that could be changed.
There was a complaint procedure in place, enabling people to state if they were unhappy with the service. The people we spoke with were aware of how to make a complaint where necessary. The service also collated positive compliments that had been made based on people’s experiences.
People who used the service and staff told us they felt the service was well managed. Staff told us they felt well supported and would feel comfortable raising and discussing concerns.
We saw there were systems in place to monitor the quality of service provided. This was done in the form of audits, spot checks and observations of staff undertaking their work. Staff also had access to policies and procedures if they needed to seek guidance in a particular area.