Updated 7 November 2019
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 and one Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
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 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was to enable the provider or registered manager to be in to support the inspection. During the inspection senior members of staff were available to support the inspection process whilst the registered manager and service manager attended a pre-arranged external meeting.
What we did before the inspection
Prior to the inspection we looked at all of the information we held about the service. This included any feedback and statutory notifications which the provider is required to send to us by law. 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
To understand people’s experience of the service we spoke with seven people who used the service and six relatives on the telephone. We also spoke with seven staff members. These included one care support worker, two team leaders, the client and staff liaison lead, the service manager and both of the directors; one of which was the registered manager and nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We visited the office where the service is run from and looked at a number of records. These included, three care files, two staff files and records relating to the operation and oversight of the service.
After the inspection
We continued to receive information from the provider to support the evidence found.