Background to this inspection
Updated
19 November 2021
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 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.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced. We gave a short notice of the inspection because we wanted to contact people to gather their views and needed their consent to do that, and also to ensure the registered manager would be in the office when we attended.
Inspection activity started on 12 October and ended on 25 October 2021. We visited the office location on 14 October 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority commissioning and safeguarding teams, care professionals who worked with the service and Healthwatch. 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 all of this information to plan our inspection.
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.
During the inspection
We spoke with eight people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and contacted all staff working for the organisation for their views. We contacted four care managers and social workers. All responses were used to support the inspection process.
We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment, training and staff support. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.
Updated
19 November 2021
About the service
Complete Community Home Care Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own homes within Northumberland. At the time of this inspection, 51 people were 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 told us they were cared for by staff who were very kind and caring and had their best interests at heart.
Risks to people and staff had been identified assessed and reviewed to help keep everyone safe. Personalised care plans provided staff with the information they needed to support people’s identified care needs safely. Some records would benefit from further information. We have made a recommendation about this.
Staffing levels had been affected at times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a recruitment process in place and the registered manager was working hard to maintain good staffing levels. When gaps had occurred, due to sickness or holiday, the registered manager had often covered these to ensure all care calls were made.
People were supported by trained and competent staff. Staff told us they felt fully supported by both the registered manager and the office staff.
Medicines were generally managed safely. Following our feedback some improvements to records were made during the inspection to better support staff after feedback given. We have made a recommendation regarding medicines.
People's concerns and complaints were dealt with promptly and consideration was given to how improvements could be made. Feedback was regularly requested from people to ensure the staff who supported them were well-matched with them.
Staff followed good infection control procedures and had supplies of masks, gloves and aprons to help keep people and themselves safe.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The provider had quality assurance systems in place to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement. This was going to be updated after our feedback to further improve the process from suggestions made.
The registered manager was extremely caring and committed to providing a continuously improving and evolving service to people.
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 CQC on 11 February 2020 and this was the service's first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection.
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.