ESPA Domiciliary Agency

Updated 16 July 2021

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 one inspector 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

ESPA Domiciliary Agency is a domiciliary care agency. It provides care and support to people living in three ‘supported living’ settings, so that people can live as independently as possible. 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.

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 at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 8 June 2021 and ended on 10 June 2021. We visited the office location on 8 June 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We visited the home of two people who were supported by the service and spoke on the telephone with three relatives. This was to seek their views and experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, two team leaders, a senior support worker, two support workers and the service’s administrative support. We also received written feedback from a number of support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 16 July 2021

About the service

ESPA Domiciliary Agency is a care agency providing personal care to younger adults living in their own homes. People accessing the service are living with learning disabilities, autism, and/or complex needs. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support to 19 people, four of who were receiving support with personal care 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.

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

People and their relatives told us they were happy with the care and support they received. Comments included, “I am happy" and "I am delighted with the support [people] receive."

Staff were clear on their responsibilities for safeguarding people and showed a good knowledge of the actions they needed to take to keep people safe. There was an open and transparent culture in relation to any accidents and incidents. These were used by the management team as learning opportunities to lessen risks.

Medicines were managed safely. Enough staff were working for the service to ensure people received safe and effective levels of care. Recruitment and selection procedures ensured suitable staff were employed.

There was a proactive approach to assessing, anticipating and managing risk which allowed people to be safe whilst also enhancing and developing their independence and essential life skills. Care plans were person centred.

Staff were supported by a committed management team and told us they were proud to work for the service. There was an open and transparent culture where people were supported to be involved in their care and voice their opinions. Relatives told us the service was well-managed.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

This service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture. The model of care and support provided to people living in their own homes maximised their choice, control and independence. People were involved in all aspects of their care and future planning. Care provided was centred around the person and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management team and support staff ensured people lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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 16 January 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this focused inspection to check whether the provider continued to meet the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe and well-led.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has remained the same. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for ESPA Domiciliary Agency on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.