Updated 1 May 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 team consisted of one inspector.
Service and service type:
Novus care is a domiciliary care agency. At the time of the inspection it provided personal care to people living in their own homes. The service supported people living with dementia, mental health, people with eating disorders, people with physical disabilities, people who may have sensory impairments and anyone who may need support with personal care.
On the day of the inspection 54 people were using the service. Not everyone using Novus Care received a regulated activity. On the day of our visit 50 people received the regulated activity. CQC only inspect the service being received by people provided with personal care, help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating.
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:
This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.
What we did:
Our inspection was informed by evidence we already held about the service. We checked for feedback from people who use the service, relatives and local authority.
We asked the service to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvement they plan to make. The service had returned their PIR 07 September 2018.
During the inspection:
We gathered information from three care files which included all aspects of care and risk.
We spoke with one person who used the service, two relatives and three care staff. We reviewed feedback from satisfaction surveys, reviewed audits, policies and procedures, minutes of meetings, records of accidents, incidents and complaints.
We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after the inspection visit, which included staff training records, supervision records, statement of purpose and monitoring information. The information was received on the day of the inspection and the day after the inspection the information was used as part of the inspection.