19 January 2014
During a routine inspection
This inspection took place on 19 January 2015 and was unannounced. This was our first inspection since the service was registered with the Care Quality Commission in May 2014.
Carewatch (Kensington and Chelsea) is a domiciliary care agency providing care to adults within their own homes. At the time of the inspection, 57 people were using the service.
The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The service received the majority of its referrals via email or telephone from social workers based in and around the local community. A field supervisor from the agency visited people in their own homes or in hospital to carry out an initial assessment. The initial assessment process ensured that people’s individual care and support needs were able to be met by the service before a package of care was organised and care staff allocated.
The care plans we looked at had been developed by consulting with people and their family members. Where people were unable to contribute to the care planning process, staff worked with people’s relatives and representatives and sought the advice of health and social care professionals to assess the care needed.
Risk assessments were present in all the care plans we looked at. Assessments covered a range of issues including falls prevention and guidance around food, nutrition, swallowing and choking. Staff had guidance about how to support people with known healthcare needs, such as when a person needed support with prescribed eye drops or topical creams.
The staff we spoke with knew about people’s interests, likes and dislikes, as well as their day to day lives at home with their families. People’s independence was promoted and staff understood the importance of respecting people’s privacy and dignity.
Most staff had completed training in food hygiene and preparation. Staff were required to support people to prepare simple meals of their choice and were aware of people’s specific dietary needs and preferences.
There were protocols in place to respond to any medical emergencies or significant changes in a person’s well-being.
There were policies and procedures in place to protect people from harm or abuse and staff were able to describe the actions they would take to keep people safe. Records showed that staff had attended relevant safeguarding training and were supervised and appraised on a regular basis.
Relatives of people using the service told us they thought the service was well managed, and we received positive feedback about the registered manager and staff.
There were arrangements in place to assess and monitor the quality and effectiveness of the service and use these findings to make ongoing improvements.