Fairhope

Updated 22 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.

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 10 March 2023 and ended on 12 March 2023. We visited the location’s office on 10 March 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority service improvement and safeguarding teams. The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 5 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with and received feedback from 7 members of staff including the registered manager, provider and care workers. We received feedback from 2 health and social care professionals on their experience of working with the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people's care records and medication records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 22 March 2023

About the service

Fairhope is a domiciliary care agency providing person care and support to people in their own houses and flats. The service provides support to older people. At the time of our inspection there were 22 people receiving personal care.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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

People and their loved ones told us they received a safe service from Fairhope. Staff were dedicated to their role and felt supported. Staff were recruited safely and most had worked at the service for many years.

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. Risks to people’s wellbeing and safety were identified, assessed and staff worked in ways to reduce the risks people faced. Lessons were learnt within the service and analysis of accidents and incidents supported ongoing safe practices.

Infection prevention and control procedures were robust, and staff had access to enough personal protective equipment (PPE). Medicines were managed safely, staff were trained and had their competency assessed. Staff received a thorough induction and communication between the team of staff was effective.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. However, it was not always clear how the service continuously improved. The registered manager immediately sought to develop the systems to ensure they evidenced the improvements they made within the service.

People, their relatives and staff told us Fairhope was well led. Positive feedback was received about the leadership of the service. Staff were proud to work at Fairhope and the service they provided. The service sought to make links and connect people to their community. The service had established a good reputation by working well with external health and social care professionals.

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 11 April 2018).

Why we inspected

We had not inspected and visited this service since 2018. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

Follow up

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