Updated 6 August 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 and 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
The first day of the 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 was carried out between 29 June and 8 July 2022. Further inspection activity was completed via telephone and by email, including speaking with people who used the service, relatives and reviewing additional information sent to us by the registered manager.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from professionals who worked with the service, including Wigan local authority. The provider was asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager who is also the nominated individual/provider.
We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records, a selection of medicine administration records (MAR) and three staff recruitment files. A variety of other records relating to the management of the service were also considered as part of the inspection.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found following our site visit.