Archived: Mocare

Updated 26 April 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 4 and 5 April 2016. We gave the registered person 48 hours’ notice of our intention to visit to ensure they were available at the time of the inspection. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection, we contacted the local authority contracting unit for feedback and checked the information we held about the service and the provider. We used this information to decide which areas to focus on during our inspection.

The provider sent us a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection, we spoke with seven people using the service and three relatives over the telephone. We also spoke to four members of care staff and the registered person.

We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the service was managed. These included the care records for five people, medication administration records, staff training records, two staff recruitment files, staff supervision records, quality assurance audits, incident reports and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 26 April 2016

We carried out an inspection of Mocare on 4 and 5 April 2016. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of our intention to carry out the inspection. This is because it is a community based service and we needed to make sure the registered person was available.

Mocare is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The agency’s office is located in near the centre of Nelson, close to all local amenities. The agency provides a service to people residing in Burnley and Pendle. At the time of the inspection 16 people were using the service.

The service was managed by the registered person who is an individual provider. There is therefore no legal requirement for a registered manager. 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.

This was the first inspection of the service. During the inspection, we found there was a breach of one regulation relating to the recruitment of new staff. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

All people told us they felt safe when receiving care from the service. Staff had a good knowledge of how to identify abuse and the action to take if abuse was suspected. We found care was planned and delivered to ensure people were protected against avoidable harm.

People received their medicines safely and were supported to eat and drink in accordance with their care plan.

Staff arrived on time and stayed for the full time allocated to them. Travelling time was not deducted from any of the visits. People therefore received the full 60 minutes care if they had booked this. People were cared for by a sufficient number of suitably trained staff who had the necessary experience and knowledge to carry out their role effectively. There was continuity of care and staff understood people's needs. However, the provider had not always operated a robust recruitment procedure and we found some information was missing from two staff members’ records.

People received safe care and support which reflected their individual preferences, likes and dislikes and promoted their independence. People were involved in the planning and monitoring of their care.

People were treated with kindness, sensitivity and care. People's individuality was at the centre of how their care was delivered. They were fully involved in making decisions about their care.

Staff understood the relevant requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how it applied to people in their care. People's consent was sought before care was given and they made choices and decisions about how this was carried out.

There was a quality monitoring system in place. The registered person undertook regular audits and spot checks were carried out to observe how the staff delivered care to people. People were asked for their views and feedback was acted upon to maintain or improve the service provided.