Courtesy Care Ltd

Updated 20 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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

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 because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 31 March 2021 and ended on 13 April 2021. We visited the office location on 31 March 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.

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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with seven people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, company director, supervisors and care workers. We received feedback from four health and social care professionals who worked with the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek evidence and clarification from the provider. We looked at training data, call logs and quality assurance records.

Updated 20 July 2021

About the service

Courtesy Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes in Axminster and Seaton and the surrounding areas. At the time of the inspection 44 people were receiving support with the regulated activity of personal care. Some people received help with tasks that were not related to personal care including, shopping, cleaning and welfare checks. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care.

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

People were happy with the standard of care and support provided to them. Comments included, “No concerns at all, it is a great service…a small and personal service” and “They are a great help to me”.

We have made a recommendation for the provider to continue with improvements to their governance systems to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the care people received.

Improvements had been achieved since the last inspection. Environmental risk assessments had been completed and any issues of concern had been addressed. Improvements were seen in the initial assessment information obtained. It was appreciated that during the pandemic face to face assessments had been limited. However, assessments completed assured the service could meet people’s needs and preferences.

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. Consent had been obtained in relation to care and support provided for individual people. If a person lacked capacity, a mental capacity assessment had been completed to ensure any decisions about care and support were made with their best interest.

People were supported by reliable, kind and caring staff who they trusted. There were sufficient staff to ensure people received visits as planned. People said the service was reliable and staff always arrived as expected.

People were safe and protected from avoidable harm because staff knew how to identify and report any concerns relating to the risk of abuse. Medicines were safely managed for people.

All staff had received the provider's mandatory infection control training and had access to appropriate protective equipment. People told us they felt safe when staff visited as they always wore personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, aprons and gloves.

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 requires improvement (published 22 August 2019). At this inspection enough improvement had been made and the service has been rated as good.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.