Archived: Unikcare Solutions

Updated 2 December 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 1 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 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 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 28 October 2022 and ended on 7 November 2022. We visited the service on 28 October 2022. We contacted people who used the service, people’s relatives and care staff to gather their views between 2 and 7 November 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we held about the service including feedback from the local authority and notifications of significant events the provider had sent to us. 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 the registered manager and two members of the management team. We reviewed the care records for four people and four staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. We also looked at a range of records relating to the management of the service.

We spoke with 1 person who used the service and 4 relatives to gather their views. We also contacted 10 care staff to gather their views of the service.

Updated 2 December 2022

About the service

Unikcare Solutions provides personal care to people in their own homes. The service is based in Bare, a suburb of Morecambe and provides support to people in Morecambe and the surrounding areas. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive a regulated activity. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection 31 people were receiving personal care.

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

People were safe and protected from harm and abuse. There were enough staff to support people. People received support from a small team of staff who they knew. Staff supported people to take their medicines as they needed. Staff followed robust infection prevention and control procedures to protect people from infection. The registered manager learned from incidents to further improve the safety of the service.

The registered manager carried out thorough assessments of people’s needs. People received the support they required. Staff were trained and competent to provide people’s care. Staff provided the support people needed with preparing and enjoying their meals and drinks. Staff liaised with healthcare services to ensure people received the support they needed. People made decisions about their care and their rights were protected. 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.

Staff were kind and caring to people. They made time to sit and chat with people and helped people to feel at ease when providing their care. People liked the staff who visited their homes. Staff asked people for their views about their care and respected the decisions they made. Staff protected people’s privacy and promoted their dignity and independence.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and took account of their preferences. People received high-quality, person-centred care. The provider had a procedure for receiving and responding to complaints about the service. Staff worked with other services to support people to remain at home as they reached the end of life.

People experienced positive outcomes and valued the service they received. Everyone said they would recommend the service. The registered manager had developed a positive, person-centred culture. The registered manager and staff were committed to providing people with high-quality care. They understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour and were open and honest with people when incidents occurred. The registered manager asked for people’s views about their care and used their feedback to improve the service.

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 2 September 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.

Follow up

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