Radiant care services LTD

Updated 11 July 2023

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 two inspectors 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.

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

This inspection was unannounced.

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. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 people using the service and 16 of people’s relatives and representatives about their experience. We spoke with 10 members of staff including the registered manager, office staff and care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included 9 people's care plans and medicines records for people supported with their medicines. We looked at recruitment checks and training records for 6 staff members. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and action plans were also reviewed.

Updated 11 July 2023

About the service

Radiant care services LTD is a homecare agency providing personal care to people of different ages who live with physical and health related support needs. The agency also supports those living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 81 people using the service.

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

People did not always receive support as planned as there was ineffective oversight of staff rosters and staff attendance on the care visits. Although staff knew people’s needs, there was a lack of structured individual approach to risk management and care needs assessments which posed a risk to people of not receiving the care they needed consistently and safely.

Staff recruitment checks were not always in place. The provider’s governance systems and continuous improvement plans were not always effectively identifying and addressing shortfalls which posed a risk to people.

People told us they felt safe with staff and staff were caring and kind. Staff knew how to protect people from the risk of infections. People, their representatives and staff felt the culture of the service was positive, person-centred and engaging. The provider worked well with other professionals.

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.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 23 March 2022). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found the provider remained in breach of regulations. The service remains rated requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to staff attendance at care visits and how risks to people were managed. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led only.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 22 April 2021 and an announced focused inspection on 08 February 2022. A breach of legal requirements was found on 08 February 2022. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve governance of the service.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Radiant care services LTD on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment, management of medicines, staffing, fit and proper persons employed and good governance.

Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.