Sagecare Olsen Court

Updated 14 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

This 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.

At the time of the inspection the service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission in post. However, there was a manager in post who was in the process of applying for their registration with us. We will continue to monitor their application. Registered managers 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

This inspection was announced. We gave the service notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that there would be staff 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. This included notifications. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. 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 six people who used the service, and one relative by telephone prior to our visit to the service and one person on the day of the visit to the service. This was to gain the views of the people who used the service. We also spoke with six members of staff, which included the branch manager, the regional manager and four care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medication 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 audits, and policies and procedures were also reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from management to validate evidence found during the inspection.

Updated 14 March 2020

About the service

Sagecare Olsen Court is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own homes within an extra care housing complex which contained a number of flats in one building . At the time of the inspection there were 29 people using the service.

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

Risks to people had been assessed and reviewed on a regular basis, and their care plans provided staff with guidance to meet their needs safely. They were supported with administration of their medicines when required. People using the service were protected from the risk of abuse as staff understood their roles in keeping people safe.

People were supported by staff who had received appropriate training for their roles and who knew people well. Staff recruitment processes ensured staff were suitable and safe to work with vulnerable people.

There were enough staff to provide consistent care for people. People were supported to maintain their health, and had received health care services when needed. Where needed, staff supported people to prepare food and drink to meet people’s dietary needs and requirements.

Staff followed procedures to protect people from infection. They were supervised, and their practice was checked to ensure they provided care that people needed.

People made decisions about their care which were documented in their care plans and respected by staff. 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.

People were supported by kind and caring staff who they trusted. People’s privacy, dignity and independence was promoted. Their communication needs were met and understood by staff.

People received person centred care. Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs and their individual preferences. Care plans were personalised and took account of people’s lifestyle interests. Staff worked flexibly to enable people to maintain their independence and contact with family and the wider community. People had the opportunity to express their wishes in relation to end of life care.

People and staff felt the management team were approachable and responsive. There were systems and processes in place to assess and monitor the quality of care provided. The manager was aware of their legal responsibilities and notified the Care Quality Commission as required. The views of people, relatives and staff were sought. The manager shared information and learning with the staff team when things went wrong. People were confident complaints would be listened to and acted on.

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 Requires Improvement (published 30 March 2019).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. The overall rating for the service has improved to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Sagecare Olsen Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.