Universal Care Services

Updated 26 March 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Universal Care Services provides a domiciliary care service to people in a shared living environment. The provider was registered as an individual who was in day to day control of the service and was not required to have a registered manager. This means the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Everyone using the service received the regulated activity. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Notice of inspection:

Our inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit. We needed to be sure the provider would be available to facilitate this inspection.

What we did:

Before the inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the service, including statutory notifications. Notifications are used to inform CQC about certain changes, events or incidents that occur. We requested feedback from stakeholders. These included the local authority safeguarding and commissioning team and Healthwatch England. Healthwatch England is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form providers are required to send us, which contains key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection, we were unable to speak with people who used the service or visit the premises where people were living, as we had not been given consent to do so. We did visit the office location and looked at two people's care plans and a selection of medication administration records. We saw records and documentation about the management of the service, recruitment information for one staff member, staff training and supervisions records. We contacted three people’s family members by telephone to obtain their thoughts about the service. We spoke with the provider and two members of staff.

Following the inspection, we received an example of a revised care plan, staff training checklist, medication agreement and survey and audit frequency.

Updated 26 March 2019

About the service: Universal Care Services provides a domiciliary care service to people in a shared living environment. Four people with learning disabilities share a living space and the service provide support with activities of daily living 24 hours a day. At the time of our inspection, the service was providing personal care to four people.

At the time of registration, the care service had not been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice and independence. People using the service receive planned and coordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them. The service is now working towards developing the service in line with these principles, ensuring people with learning disabilities can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

People’s experience of using this service:

Relatives told us their family member was safe. Risks to people were assessed and how to reduce risks and how to respond to possible harm recorded. The management of medicines was safe and staff had completed training. Staff followed infection prevention and control guidance when supporting people.

There were enough skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs. An induction was completed by new staff. Staff received appropriate training and support to enable them to perform their roles effectively. Recruitment processes were in place and followed.

Staff involved healthcare professionals to support people's health care needs were required. People received support, with eating and drinking, when needed. People 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. Staff gained people's consent before providing personal care and support.

Relatives said and people’s satisfaction surveys told us staff were kind and caring. The staff described how individual people preferred their care and support delivered and the importance of treating people with dignity and respect. Care plans showed people were involved in their care and they contained sufficient detail for staff to provide effective care and support.

People, relatives and staff had the opportunity to provide feedback about the service. Information was provided so people knew who to speak with if they had concerns. There was a system in place to respond to any complaints. The provider worked in partnership with other services to support people’s when needed. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of service but the provider was in the process of reviewing the quality checks to make these more robust.

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

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated Good. (published 2 August 2016). The overall rating has remained the same.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating of Good.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service through information we receive. Further inspections will be planned for future dates as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.