The Doting Carers Ltd

Updated 9 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 1 inspector.

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 who was also the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider and the registered manager.

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 13 February 2023 and ended on 21 February. We visited the location’s office on 16 February 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about 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 spoke with 1 member of staff and 1 relative via email. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and the administrator. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records and 2 people’s Medication Administration Records [MAR]. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. We looked at a sample of the service’s quality assurance systems including incident and accidents and complaints overview.

Following the inspection to the domiciliary care service, we continued to seek further clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We spoke to a further 2 members of staff via email correspondence, and 2 relatives to obtain feedback of their experience.

Updated 9 March 2023

About the service

The Doting Carers Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing the regulated activity of personal care to people. The service provides support to younger people and older adults. At the time of our inspection there were 6 people using the service.

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

Risks to people had been identified and assessed, however the risk assessments were not always dated when they had been carried out or when they were to be reviewed. Risk assessments to people who were prescribed anticoagulant medicines contained limited information and required more detail. We have made a recommendation about the providers management and completion of risk assessments.

People received consistent care by a staffing team they knew well. Staff understood people’s care and support needs and there was enough staff to meet people’s needs. The registered manager had systems in place to recruit staff safely. The registered manager and staff knew how to identify and report any concerns.

Staff received an induction when commencing their role and had undertaken some specialised training to help develop their skills and knowledge. Staff told us they felt supported in their roles and the registered manager was always available if they had any concerns. People were supported with their medicines by trained members of staff when required.

The registered manager carried out an assessment of people’s needs prior to starting with the service and how they liked to be cared for. People’s nutritional needs were met. They were supported to maintain a balanced diet. 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.

The registered manager had systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Relatives and staff spoke positively about the leadership of the service. The registered manager worked together with other healthcare professionals to support people’s healthcare needs and enable them to achieve good outcomes for people.

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

This service was registered with us on 10 December 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as the service had not been rated since its registration.

Follow up

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