Background to this inspection
Updated
10 May 2022
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 was carried out by 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
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 24 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the registered provider and staff would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 15 March 2022 and ended on 18 March 2022. We visited the location’s office on 15 March 2022.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 process we spoke with four people and four relatives. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, care manager and two care-coordinators.
We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's care records. We looked at nine staff files in relation to recruitment. We looked at medicine administration records and processes. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management and quality assurance of the service.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance records.
Updated
10 May 2022
About the service
IHI Care Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 56 people.
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
The provider carried out recruitment checks to ensure staff were suitable for the role. Some improvements were required such as ensuring reference verification checks documentation contained the name details and date of the staff member completing the check. In addition, ensuring all recruitment records contain evidence of reference requests sent to ensure there is an adequate audit trail.
Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and harm.
People's support needs were risk assessed and care plans provided staff with the information they needed to manage the identified risk.
Staff had the necessary skills to carry out their role. Staff had regular training opportunities and training specific to people's individual needs was provided.
People received their medicines as prescribed. Where people required ‘as and when’ medicines (PRN) staff knew when to administer them and how to record them. Staff had received medication training and checks of their competency to administer medicines safely had been completed.
Infection control policies and procedures were in place to keep people safe.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way and in their best interests: the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The management and care team ensured they supported people in a person-centred way to reflect people's equality and diverse needs.
The quality of care provided was continually assessed, reviewed and improved. People using the service, relatives and staff were given the opportunity to provide feedback. Audits took place to ensure the quality of
the service was maintained.
The service worked well with health and other professionals to ensure people's needs were met.
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 26 April 2019).
Why we inspected
We received concerns relating to recruitment processes and references checks. A decision was made to inspect the service to look at these concerns. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.