Background to this inspection
Updated
27 November 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. 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 an 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.
Notice of inspection
We gave a short period of notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure the provider would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 7 November 2019 and ended on 12 November 2019. We visited the office location on 8 and 11 November 2019.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority. 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 spoke with four people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered provider and three support staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records, medication records and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data.
Updated
27 November 2019
About the service
Cheshire Supported Service is a domiciliary care service that provides care and support to 12 people living in their own homes.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service was not always well-led. Although they took appropriate action following our discussions, the registered provider had not ensured that safe recruitment and quality assurance procedures had been established. Some staff had not undertaken training relevant to their roles.
People told us they felt safe when receiving care and support. Staff were aware of measures to take to prevent and control the spread of infection. There was a procedure to record and monitor any accidents/incidents which may occur, none had occurred in the last twelve months. People who required support to take their medicines had received them as prescribed.
Staff were deployed in dedicated teams. This meant that people were supported by consistent staff who knew them well, allowing relationships to develop. People spoke positively about staff and the care they received, they said, “I feel very fortunate they are looking after me” and “I am very satisfied with the service.”
People were treated with kindness, respect and without discrimination. Staff supported people to maintain their independence and people were involved in decisions about their care.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Staff, people using the service and relatives spoke positively about the support they received from the registered provider.
Why we inspected
This service was registered with us on 10/10/18 and this is the first comprehensive inspection. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement, please see the safe, responsive and well-led sections of this full report. The provider has taken actions to mitigate the risk to people by ensuring that pre-employment checks were made.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at ww.cqc.org.uk
Enforcement
We have identified breaches in relation to safe recruitment, safeguarding people from abuse and good governance. You can see what action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at ww.cqc.org.uk
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.