Whispers Care Solutions Limited

Updated 27 January 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by 1 inspector and an Expert by Experience contacted people and relatives by telephone. 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 houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 9 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 15 members of staff including the registered manager and nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider, senior care staff and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 6 people’s care records and multiple medicines records. We looked at 5 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 found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with 5 professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 27 January 2023

About the service

Whispers Care Solutions Limited is a domiciliary care provider. At the time of this inspection 167 people received personal care support from the service. The service supported younger and older people, some of who were living with dementia, within their own homes. The service also offered a complex care service for people with more higher levels of need working with multidisciplinary teams.

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

People felt safe using the service. Systems were in place to protect people from abuse. There were enough staff to keep people safe, although some people felt calls were not always on time and raised concerns about the continuity of care workers who provided their care.

There were plans in place for foreseeable emergencies. Risks concerned with people’s health care and the environment were assessed and reduced as far as was practicable. However, some risk management records would benefit from being more comprehensive and complete.

People were supported to take their medicines safely. Staff were provided with training and checked to ensure they were following correct procedures.

Most staff felt supported by the provider and registered manager and could visit the office to discuss any concerns. Staff were enthusiastic about their jobs and showed care and understanding for the people they supported.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.

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. 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 and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 23 November 2018).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to staffing concerns. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.