Updated 2 November 2022
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The 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.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
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 18 October 2022 and ended on 19 October 2022. We visited the location’s office on 19 October 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered with CQC. We sought feedback from the local authority, Healthwatch and professionals who work with the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.
The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
We used information gathered as part of a monitoring activity that took place on 11 August 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform judgements. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke over the telephone with two people who used the service and a relative. We reviewed feedback received from two relatives’ and a health professional. We spoke with the registered manager and the nominated individual who were currently the only individuals employed and providing personal care. The nominated individual is also responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We visited the office location to review written records. We looked at two people's care records. We checked records relating to the management of the service including policies and procedures and quality assurance records.