Managing Care Limited

Updated 14 December 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. 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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was conducted by one 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.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

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

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 21 November 2019 and ended on 25 November 2019. We visited the office location on 21 November 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four staff including the registered manager, the IT manager and three care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five care records and medicines records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including complaints and incident forms.

After the inspection

The Expert by Experience spoke with seven people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after our inspection. This including the training and induction programme records and feedback survey results.

Updated 14 December 2019

About the service

Managing Care Limited is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people in their own homes, the majority in Wandsworth, Tooting and Battersea. At the time of the inspection there were 35 people receiving personal care support. 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

At the last inspection, we found a number of areas that needed addressing. Risks to people were not being managed in a way that kept people safe. Staff supervision were not being done regularly. Some aspects of the quality assurance checks were not thorough enough and in other cases were not being done regularly. The provider had also failed to submit statutory notifications where required. We also made a recommendation about following up when complaints were made. At this inspection, we found improvements had been made in these areas.

People and their relatives were kept safe through appropriate risk management guidelines that were in place, this included the risk of infection and the safe management of medicines. People were supported by care workers who had been safely recruited. People said they felt safe in the presence of care workers. Potential safeguarding allegations were reported and managed appropriately, with any learning from incidents and accidents and complaints shared with relevant organisations.

Staff received appropriate supervision and training which meant they were able to carry out their roles effectively. People were assessed prior to care being delivered and they were fully involved in planning their care. People’s consent to care was taken. Their nutritional and health care needs were being met by the provider.

People told us they were treated with care and respect. They told us that care workers respected their privacy and tried to encourage them to maintain their independence and delivered care in line with their wishes. Care workers cared for people in a person-centred manner and involved them when supporting them, making them feel at ease.

Care plans for people were reviewed regularly which meant they received care that reflected their needs. The provider engaged with people and their relatives, listening when they raised concerns and following up on any actions.

The service was managed well, this was reflected in the feedback we received from people, their relatives and staff. The registered manager was aware of her responsibilities and encouraged an open culture where people’s views were heard and acted upon. Quality assurance checks were in place which helped to maintain a good level of service.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 4 December 2018) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk