Seremed Healthcare

Updated 22 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

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 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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

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.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration with CQC. 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 visited the providers office where we spoke with the registered manager and senior care co-ordinator and one care worker. We also reviewed a range of records. Following the inspection, we spoke with one person using the service and a further two people’s relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with two care workers and sought feedback from two health and social care professionals.

Updated 22 June 2022

About the service

Seremed Healthcare is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. There were three people using the service at the time of the inspection all of whom were receiving 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

Information about risks to people was not always comprehensive. More robust systems were needed to gather safety related information to look for themes or trends or to help identify learning.

We were not assured, that the governance systems in place were being fully effective, or reliable, at driving improvements and ensuring that the fundamental standards were being met. We were concerned that the registered manager was not, in practice, in day to day management of the service, or that they had a sufficient oversight of the provision of care.

People and their relatives were positive about staffing and told us they received a consistent and reliable service. Overall, relevant recruitment checks were in place including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Staff followed safe infection control practices. Staff knew how to recognise the signs of abuse.

People and their relatives had confidence in the skills and knowledge of the care team. New or inexperienced staff were mentored and guided, but ongoing supervision and training was not taking place consistently. There was scope to develop care plans to create more accurate, personalised and comprehensive plans that more fully described the person’s needs and how these were to be met. There was mixed evidence about how effectively staff monitored people’s health. People were supported with preparation of food and drinks.

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.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff spoke positively about their work and the importance of building strong relationships with people. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and promoted people’s independence.

Staff provided people with person-centred support and people received consistent, timely care and support from staff who knew them well and understood their needs. A complaints policy was in place. Staff worked with healthcare professionals to ensure people experienced a comfortable and dignified death however, people’s priorities for their future care had not been incorporated into an end of life or advanced care plan.

The registered manager had instilled a positive work culture where staff felt valued. Feedback from people and their relatives indicated that they felt the service was well managed. They described staff as working well as a team and displaying person centred values and behaviours including compassion and respect and the promotion of independence.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was registered with us on 4 September 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection so that we could give this registered service a rating.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to risk management and the effectiveness of the governance arrangements.

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.