Nurse Plus UK - Hastings

Updated 17 June 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

This 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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. The service was currently being managed by an interim manager who previously covered as manager at another service owned by the provider. This manager had only worked at the service for a few days prior to the inspection and would be commencing their application to register as manager with CQC shortly. This person will be referred to as ‘the manager’ throughout the report.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced.

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 23 May 2022 and ended on 1 June 2022. We visited the location’s office on 26 May 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We contacted seven people who used the service and a further seven relatives by telephone to gain their feedback. We also contacted the nominated individual, manager and care staff. We requested a variety of documentation to review as part of our ongoing monitoring of the service. We reviewed statutory notifications sent to us by the service about events that had occurred. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. 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 to the manager and senior coordinator and were able to observe office staff responding to telephone calls and carrying out their daily duties. We looked at documentation in place to support the day to day running of the service, including two staff recruitment files, staff training records, daily care logs, medicine records, accidents, incidents and quality assurance. We also looked at four people’s care plans. Following the inspection, we continued to review information provided by the manager and gained feedback from professionals involved with the service.

Updated 17 June 2022

About the service

Nurseplus UK is a domiciliary care agency providing care to people in their homes. On the day of the inspection the service was supporting 21 people with personal care, one of whom was in hospital at the time of the inspection.

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

Nurseplus UK did not have a registered manager. The previous manager had left in April 2022. The service was currently being managed by an interim manager who previously covered as manager at another service owned by the provider. This manager had only worked at the service for a few days prior to the inspection and in this short time they had already implemented a number of improvements. They had also taken the time to telephone care staff to introduce themselves to ensure staff were aware of the change and felt supported.

People‘s needs had been assessed before they started to receive care from Nurseplus UK. Care needs were reviewed and updated when any changes occurred. Risk assessments had been completed to alert staff of any specific risk relating to a person’s health or the environment they lived in.

People and relatives told us care staff were kind and caring. People felt supported and many told us they looked forward to the visits. People had the opportunity to feedback their views. A survey had recently been completed and people told us they received calls from the office to check that they were happy with everything. When issues occurred, people told us they contacted the office and these were addressed.

Medicines policies and procedures were in place. Staff received training and medicines were audited regularly to identify any errors. People told us they received their medicines safely.

There were robust recruitment processes in place and staff recruitment was ongoing. The provider had employed recruitment consultants to aid successful recruitment. New staff received an induction, this included a two-day training course which covered all mandatory training. Further training opportunities were available for staff if needed, for example further diabetes training was being introduced. Staff told us the training was good.

Staff were supported and given the opportunity to share their views. Staff received regular one to one supervision and staff meetings had taken place. The manager was aware that many of the staff had worked through the pandemic. They were looking at small ways to reward and thank staff for all their hard work over previous months to ensure staff felt appreciated.

Staff received infection control training and were kept updated of the current government guidance in relation to COVID-19 and the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The office had adequate supplies of PPE which staff could collect from the office when needed.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs at the time of the inspection. The manager told us people’s needs were assessed to ensure adequate staff numbers were in place before a care package was accepted. People told us they liked to have the same care staff visit them whenever possible.

Peoples nutrition was supported. Some people received assistance from staff with meal preparation. Information was recorded for staff around people’s choices and preferences.

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.

Quality assurance systems were in place. This included a range of audits, checks and reviews to ensure the provider and manager had good oversight of the service. The manager was open and transparent and had identified areas they wished to improve and develop as the service moved forward. There was clear evidence to demonstrate that learning was taken forward to continually improve the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 10 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned comprehensive inspection to provide a first rating for this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.