08 July 2014 and 28July 2014
During a routine inspection
We carried out this inspection under section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.
Contract Care Agency Limited provides care to people in their own homes. There were 28 people who used the service at the time of our inspection.
The inspection visit was announced and this meant the provider and staff knew we would be visiting the agency’s office 48 hours before we arrived.
There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.
People told us they felt safe and trusted the people who cared for them. The provider had suitable arrangements in place to ensure people who used the service were safeguarded against the risk of abuse. Appropriate risk assessments had been undertaken to make sure the environment was safe and secure for staff to attend to people’s needs.
People were supported by appropriately recruited and trained staff who had the required skills to provide effective and compassionate care.
People were supported to take informed risks. Where people lacked capacity to make decisions, the Mental Capacity (MCA) Act 2005 was being adhered to. For example, we saw where relevant people had a mental capacity assessment on their file to ensure where able they would participate in the planning of their care.
There were processes in place to ensure people’s preferences and needs were recorded in their care plans and staff were following the plans of care. Records we looked at showed us that the risks around nutrition and hydration were monitored and managed by staff with guidance from other healthcare professionals to ensure each person who used the service received adequate food and drink.
People we spoke with told us they were happy with the care provided by the service. They told us the staff were kind and respectful at all times. Staff we spoke with told us they had clear values to ensure people were treated with dignity and respect.
People were able to express their views by completing a service questionnaire about how the service was run.
People had access an advocacy service. Advocates are trained professionals who support, enable and empower people to speak up.
We found staff were able to describe how they had responded to what was important to individuals and how they met their needs. We saw systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided, but they were not robust enough to highlight concerns.