Care Station NW

Updated 21 May 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.

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.

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 29 April 2021 and ended on 6 May 2021. We visited the office location on 29 April 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration with CQC. We sought feedback from the local authority and the local Healthwatch team. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

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

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and quality assurance manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and three medication records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. In addition, a variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed; these included minutes from meetings, audits and checks completed in the service and a sample of policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found and request additional information. We spoke by telephone with three people who used the service, three relatives and four members of staff.

Updated 21 May 2021

About the service

Care Station NW is a domiciliary care agency that provides care and support to adults in their own home. People receiving a service included those with dementia, mental health, physical disabilities and learning disabilities. 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. At the time of the inspection there were eight people receiving a regulated service.

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

People were happy with the support they received from the service. They and their relatives had no concerns about their safety while using the service. Staff had received training in how to protect people from the risk of harm. Following our feedback during the inspection, the provider made immediate improvements to their recruitment practices to ensure people were fully protected from the risk of unsuitable staff. People received their medicines safely from appropriately trained staff.

Staff understood their responsibilities to prevent the spread of infection whilst working in and between people's homes. They wore the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) and were regularly tested to ensure they were safe to work with people.

People's health and care needs had been assessed before the service started. The information was then used to formulate care plans for each individual. Although people told us they always received person-centred care, some care plans needed to include more detailed information about how people wanted their care to be delivered. Following the inspection, we were provided with evidence the provider had made the necessary improvements. Staff received training, supervision and support to help ensure they were effectively carrying out their role.

People liked the staff who supported them and told us staff were always kind and respectful. Staff considered people’s diversity and respected their right to privacy and dignity. They encouraged people to be as independent as they could be and involved them 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.

People told us staff were very responsive to their needs and felt they were at the centre of their care, driving all decisions about how they would be supported. People felt able to raise any concerns they had about their care and were confident they would always be listened to.

People felt the service was well-led. The registered manager was committed to a process of continuous improvement.

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

Rating at last inspection

The service was registered with us on 19 September 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to check the safety and quality of the care people received and was based on when the service was first registered with CQC.

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.