Archived: Partners in Care (South West) Limited

Updated 7 May 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses, flats and specialist housing.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period of notice of the inspection because we needed to be sure that the provider/ registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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 provider, registered manager, care co-ordinator and two members of care staff. We also spoke with two people and one relative by telephone. We had written feedback from another relative. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at policies and procedures. We received updates about the actions the registered manager had taken in response to feedback given during the inspection.

Updated 7 May 2020

About the service

Partners in care is a domiciliary care service, which provides support for adults in the community, who require assistance with personal care, including those living with dementia, physical disabilities, mental health needs and sensory impairments. At the time of our inspection there were 27 people who used the service.

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

People were at risk of receiving unsafe care because the information in some risk assessments was inaccurate. This meant they did not always provide the guidance staff needed to understand and minimise risks. Risks were mitigated however because the information in people’s care plans did reflect the current risks and the action needed to keep people safe. In addition, people were supported by a consistent staff team who knew them very well and had a good understanding of their needs.

Although the care plans contained clear guidance for staff about how to meet people’s needs, they did not contain any information about their background and interests. Staff told us this would support them in getting to know people. Despite this, people told us they did receive personalised care. They were supported by kind and caring staff who knew them well and understood their needs. One person told us, " You get to know the carers. They are a lovely bunch. Great friends. “

The provider and registered manager led an open, transparent and person-centred service which helped people and staff feel valued and supported. They were committed to continuing to learn and improve the quality and safety of the service. They responded immediately to feedback given during the inspection and took action to address the concerns raised.

Clear processes were in place to ensure effective monitoring and accountability. There was a quality assurance programme which was informed by feedback from people, relatives and staff.

People said they felt able to raise any concerns and were confident they would be acted on. However, they were unsure of how to formally make a complaint, although the policy was in a folder kept in their homes. The registered manager planned to review the policy and discuss it with people at their reviews to make it clearer for them.

Staff promoted people’s privacy and dignity, and people told us they were involved in decisions about their care. They 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.

People's needs were assessed before they started using the service and regularly reviewed. When people needed support with taking their medicines, this was provided safely.

People were supported to live healthier lives, with staff supporting and contacting health care professionals when needed. Staff worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure people received the right support.

People were protected from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm. Lessons learnt from accidents and incidents were used to prevent reoccurrences. Robust recruitment checks were carried out for staff before they started working at the service.

Staff followed appropriate infection control practices. Written information had been given to people to explain about the coronavirus, and the guidance introduced by the government to minimise the spread. People told us they appreciated this, saying, “It’s good to have it in black and white.”

Staff received a comprehensive induction, training and supervision to support them in their role, and were encouraged and supported in their professional development. They felt valued by the management team and their hard work was recognised and rewarded.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 21 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Partners in Care (South West) Limited on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.