Lindcare Ltd

Updated 23 September 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

This 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.

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 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 16 August 2022 and ended on 18 August 2022. We visited the location’s office on 16 and 17 August 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who worked 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 spoke with the registered manager and three staff. We spoke with one person receiving support and four relatives. We reviewed three people's support records. We reviewed records and audits relating to the management of the service. We asked the registered manager to send us documents before and after the on-site inspection. These were provided in a timely manner and this evidence was included as part of our inspection.

Updated 23 September 2022

About the service

Lindcare is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of inspection, the service was providing personal care to nine people. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. Care Quality Commission (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

We found the process for recruiting staff was not robust. Recruitment checks were not carried out in full. The registered manager did not keep full records of staff information.

People were kept safe from risk and harm and staff had a good understanding of safeguarding processes. Risk assessments were robust and relevant. Medicines were managed safely. Infection prevention and control (IPC) systems were in place to reduce people's risk of infection.

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives. Staff were trained to deliver support specific to the needs of people. People told us staff were polite and always asked before providing support. People were involved in decisions about their support needs.

Support records provided detailed information about people's needs and preferences. People's health care and nutritional needs were well managed. Staff were kind, compassionate and caring; they treated people with respect and maintained their privacy and dignity.

People's support needs were assessed and reviewed on a regular basis. People had access to healthcare professionals. People and their relatives told us they were involved in the support planning process to ensure it met their needs.

Auditing and quality assurance processes were not always in place to enable the service to identify where improvement was needed. People told us the registered manager was approachable and responsive to feedback. The service worked well in partnership with others to ensure the best outcomes for people.

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 17 May 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Enforcement and Recommendations

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 recruitment and retention of staff at this inspection. 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.