Archived: Blossom Care For You

Updated 18 May 2018

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 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.

The inspection took place on 21 December 2017. We visited the office location on this date to see the manager and office staff, and to review care records, policies and procedures. In the days following the office visit we contacted staff and people who used the service by telephone.

This was the first inspection of Blossom Care for You. The inspection was unannounced. The inspection team comprised two inspectors.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we had about the service, including previous inspection reports and notifications the provider sent to us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make

We spoke with five people who used the service or a close family member who was involved in their care and support. We also spoke with five members of care staff, the manager of the service and two directors.

We looked at the care plans and associated records of four people. We reviewed other records, including the provider’s policies and procedures, a staff handbook, training and recruitment records, medicine administration records, staff rotas and timesheets, and recruitment records for three staff members. We looked at records of complaints, safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents.

Updated 18 May 2018

The inspection took place on 21 December 2017. It was unannounced.

Blossom Care for You is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older people who may be living with dementia and younger adults who may have mental health needs. Not everyone using Blossom Care for You receives regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with “personal care”, that is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

There was no registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

We found the provider did not keep accurate and up to date care records with respect to people’s medicines. The provider had not kept other legally required records up to date. This meant the provider was not meeting the fundamental standards required of all social care providers and was in breach of two regulations. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the end of the full version of this report.

The overall rating for Blossom Care for You was requires improvement. This was the first time the service has been rated requires improvement.

The provider had arrangements in place to protect people from risks to their safety and welfare, including the risks of avoidable harm and abuse. Staffing levels were sufficient to support people safely. Recruitment processes were in place to make the provider only employed workers who were suitable to work in people’s homes. There were arrangements in place to protect people from the risk of infection and to learn lessons and make improvements when things went wrong.

People received care and support based on thorough, individual assessments and care planning. Staff received appropriate training to maintain and develop their skills and knowledge to support people according to their needs. Staff were aware of the need to seek people’s consent to their care. Where appropriate people were supported to eat and drink and to have access to other care services.

There were caring relationships between care workers and the people they supported. People were encouraged to take part in decisions about their care and support and their views were listened to. Staff respected people’s independence, privacy, and dignity.

People received care and support that took into account their abilities, needs and preferences. People were able to take part in leisure activities which reflected their interests. People were aware of the provider’s complaints procedure, but there had been few formal complaints.

Staff were motivated to deliver a high standard of care and support that was focused on people as individuals. There were systems in place to manage the service, and monitor and assess the quality of service, although these had not identified all the concerns we found. Arrangements were in place to engage with people and their families, and to improve the service while sustaining the level of service delivered.