South Cheshire Senior Care Ltd

Updated 1 March 2023

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 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 homes.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 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 4 January 2023 and ended on 20 January 2023. We visited the location’s office/service on 4 January 2023 and 20 January 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since its registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 4 people and 1 relative in their homes that used the service and spoke to 8 relatives by telephone about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, provider and 6 support staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment and 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 1 March 2023

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

South Cheshire Senior Care is a domiciliary care agency that supports people to live in their own homes. They are a franchise within the National Home Instead group. The agency provides home care services within Nantwich, Whitchurch, Crewe and Alsager area to people who may be living with dementia, a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder, a physical disability, sensory impairment or mental health needs. 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. There were 49 people supported with personal care at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support:

The provider had followed safe recruitment practices and all staff had received an induction and undertaken shadow shifts. Staff had the necessary skills and knowledge to meet people’s individual needs.

People were supported with their medicines if required, by trained and competent staff. Care plans held enough information for support staff to meet people's individual needs.

People were supported to maintain their health and wellbeing where possible. Staff worked closely with health and social care professionals to meet people’s needs.

Risks to people's safety were assessed and monitored and people had individual risk assessments in place.

People had their communication needs assessed. Staff understood individual communication styles. Information could be made available in accessible formats, such as, large print, easy read and pictorial.

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.

Right Care:

People described how staff respected their privacy and dignity and also promoted their independence. People told us staff were kind and caring.

Staff wore PPE (Personal protective equipment) in accordance with good practice guidelines and ample supplies were available. Staff had received training in infection prevention and control.

Staff had a good understanding of how to protect people from poor care and abuse. They described the actions they would take to keep people safe and were confident any concerns raised would be promptly acted upon.

People and their relatives had been involved in the development of their person-centred care plans. Care plans were personalised and included information of people's routines, life history, healthcare needs and preferences.

Right Culture:

The provider and registered manager had developed a positive culture. People supported, relatives and staff all spoke positively about the service.

People and their relatives participated in the review of their care plans and the support they received.

A governance system was in place that included audits of all key areas of the service. This information was used to develop the service.

Staff spoke positively about the registered manager and office team. They told us they felt well supported.

Staff demonstrated a desire to make a positive difference to people’s lives through the support they offered. Staff spent time speaking to people and getting to know them.

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 22 October 2020 and this is the first inspection under this new provider.

Follow up

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