5 April 2023
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Nobilis Care Oldham is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older people and younger adults with various needs. At the time of this inspection 200 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
Medicine recording systems were not robust. Medicine records were not always complete and some were poorly maintained. People’s risk assessments in relation to their care lacked detail and were not always updated.
We received mixed feedback from people and their relatives in relation to people receiving regular staff members for their visits.
Auditing systems were not always robust and auditing processes had not picked up on the discrepancies we found during this inspection. Governance systems required improvement.
Staff had received training in safeguarding people. People were protected from the risks of abuse and staff were trusted to keep them safe. 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.
Recruitment checks were robust to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. The provider had systems in place to monitor staffing levels and ensure people received their visits. Staff received training in infection prevention and control and personal protective equipment [PPE] was readily available to them.
Person-centred care was promoted. The registered manager and staff demonstrated a commitment to people, and they displayed person-centred values. The registered manager worked effectively in partnership with other health and social care organisations and networks to build connections and achieve better outcomes for people using the service.
Staff praised the registered manager and the wider management team within the service, they felt supported in their roles.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 12 May 2021).
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to the management of medicines, staffing arrangements and management support. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. However, we have found areas that needed improvement in relation to record keeping and auditing functions.
The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.
Enforcement
We have identified a breach in relation to maintaining accurate records and operating robust auditing systems.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.