Updated 3 May 2019
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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. Their area of expertise was care of older people and dementia care. They made telephone calls to people who use the service and relatives.
Service and service type:
Not everyone using the service receives the regulated activity of ‘personal care’. CQC only insects the service being received by people provided with personal care. This means help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.
The service is required to have a registered manager. The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection:
The inspection was announced. We gave the provider three days’ notice of the office visit, to make sure someone would be available to assist us and to allow access to records and systems.
Inspection site visit activity started on 4 April 2019 and ended on 5 April 2019. Telephone calls were made to people on 3 April 2019.
What we did:
• 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 reviewed notifications and any other information we had received since the last inspection. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.
• We sent questionnaires to people who use the service and staff before the inspection.
• Telephone calls were made to six people who use the service and nine relatives or advocates, to seek their views about the service.
• We contacted social care professionals, to seek their views about people’s care.
• We spoke with the registered manager and three staff members in a range of roles.
• We contacted 20 staff by email and invited them to provide feedback about the service.
• We checked some of the required records. These included five people’s care plans and medicines records, three staff recruitment files, staff training and development files. Other records included auditing reports, policies and procedures.