Background to this inspection
Updated
19 November 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 homes.
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 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 18 October 2021 and ended on 04 November 2021. We visited the office location on 1 November 2021
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since being registered in July 2020. 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 one person who used the service and their family representative. We also spoke with a case manager acting as representative for a person using the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and four members of staff including two office based care managers and two support workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment, spot checks and supervision. 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
Nurseplus UK is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people receive personal care we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting a total of four people, but only two people received support with personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe using the service. Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of harm or abuse. Where people needed support with medicines, access to healthcare and to eat and drink, this was managed well.
People and their representatives told us the service had managed the COVID-19 pandemic well, however screening measures of visitors needed to improve to ensure office staff were protected from the risk of catching and spreading infection.
We have made a recommendation about working safely in domiciliary care.
People using the service had specific care packages with a dedicated staff team. This ensured they received a consistent and reliable service. The recruitment and selection process ensured the right staff were matched to people’s preferences and personality. Staff were provided with the training they needed to carry out their roles, but required additional training to meet people’s specific needs, including people living with a brain injury.
We have made recommendation about staff training.
People were treated with dignity, respect and kindness. Staff understood their responsibilities to respect people's right to privacy, confidentiality and to promote their independence. 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.
Although no one using the service required end of life care at the time of this inspection, systems were in place to ensure people received the right support to have a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death.
People and their representatives spoke positively about the management of the service. Staff intuitively provided care in line with the values of the company. Staff described Nurseplus UK as a good company to work for, with good teamwork, good team morale and a transparent culture.
The registered manager told us they regularly reviewed the quality of the service via audits and conversations with people, their representatives and staff to assess what was working well, and what needed to improve. The registered manager worked in partnership with other health professionals, family members, advocates and case managers to ensure people received joined up care and support.
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 23 July 2020 and this is the 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.