Background to this inspection
Updated
29 March 2020
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
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
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.
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. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, executive administrator, senior care worker, and care workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two 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.
After the inspection
The registered manager provided additional feedback from people and copies of records the inspector was unable to see on the day of the inspection.
We received feedback from four health and social care professionals who worked with the service.
Updated
29 March 2020
About the service
George Springall Homecare Partnership is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. The service was supporting 21 people at the time of the inspection.
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
The registered manager was passionate about providing high quality care that centred on people. There was an extremely caring culture that respected and valued people as unique individuals and ensured they were in control of their lives. There were many examples of staff going over and above what was expected of them, often in their own time. People remained extremely complimentary about the care they received.
When people required end of life care it was delivered with utmost dignity and compassion. People’s relatives praised the support using words such as ‘amazing’. Relatives also praised staff and how they supported all of the family at this difficult time.
Everyone was respected by a management team who promoted an open and inclusive culture and went to exceptional lengths to ensure people and staff felt valued. There was a stable and committed staff team that enabled people to build positive, caring relationships with consistent staff. Staff knew people well and used their knowledge to support people to engage in activities and social interactions to prevent social isolation.
The registered manager had developed strong relationships with health professionals and went to exceptional lengths to ensure people received the support they needed. There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the service. The registered manager ensured people and staff were involved in the development of the service and used a range of methods to gather feedback. There was a clear focus on continuous improvement and commitment to following the best practice to ensure the delivery of high quality care.
People felt safe when being supported by staff. There were effective systems in place to ensure people were supported to manage identified risks. People received support from consistent staff and told us staff were rarely late and people never felt rushed.
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.
Staff received effective training and were well supported. Staff were encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge. The registered manager ensured they kept their skills and knowledge up to date and took the opportunity to share good practice with other social care providers.
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 outstanding (published 21 July 2017).
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.