Updated 30 March 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 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.
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. The registered manager had a planned absence from the service. An interim manager was in post.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced. We gave a short notice period of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 03 March 2022 and ended on 08 March 2022. We visited the location’s office on 03 March 2022.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. 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 three staff members which included the manager and the regional manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care and medicine records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures and audits were reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke to a further two staff members. The Expert by Experience spoke to three people who use the service and three relatives. We received feedback from one health and social care professional.