Background to this inspection
Updated
1 April 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 two inspectors.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
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. In this instance the registered manager was also the provider.
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 and professionals who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
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 two people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and the deputy manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple 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
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence. We spoke on the telephone with a relative about their experience of the care provided and received feedback from nine care staff.
Updated
1 April 2020
About the service
Lantern Care Services is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 32 people in their homes aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were kept safe by trained staff who had been safely recruited. Staff knew how to identify, report and investigate any safeguarding concerns.
People were supported with their medicines by staff who were subject to regular competency checks. People were supported with the preparation of their food by staff who had been trained in food hygiene as and when required.
Risks to people’s safety were identified and managed. Both risk assessments and care plans were person-centred and reviewed regularly to ensure all needs were met. People were involved in the reviews of their care and made choices in relation to how they received their care. People were also encouraged to follow hobbies and interests by staff.
People were supported by caring staff that respected their equality, diversity and privacy. Staff also supported people to be independent and achieve goals. People were supported by staff to have access to health and social care professionals and staff followed guidance to ensure people received effective and timely care.
Staff were responsive to people’s needs and there was a complaints procedure in place for staff to investigate any concerns thoroughly and implement measures to prevent any future incidents.
Staff and people spoke highly of the management and the support they receive from the registered manager. Staff received regular supervision and took part in staff meetings and people were asked for regular feedback. Any ideas were implemented to make improvements to the service.
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.
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 Good (published 02 August 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.