13 November 2018
During a routine inspection
Artemis Domiciliary Care Limited is a domiciliary care service. The service operates throughout North Cumbria and provides care and support services to people living in their own home. Domiciliary services are available on a 24-hour basis throughout the year. The services provided by the agency include assistance with personal care, social support, help with meals and domestic tasks. In addition, they provide a rapid response service to assist people in low level emergency situations that do not require a 999 emergency services response.
Not everyone using the service receives 'personal care'; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating.
At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care support to 72 people living in and around the city of Carlisle.
At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Information at the service was not available in various formats. However, it met the communication needs of the current people who used the service.
We have made a recommendation about the implementation of the Accessible Information Standard.
People using the service were safe and protected from the risks of harm or abuse. There were systems in place and staff were familiar with the safeguarding adults process.
Medicines were managed in a safely. The systems and checks that were in place alerted the management team straight away if medicines had not been administered as required.
People using the service were involved in the decisions and planning of their care and support needs.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported the in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
There were sufficient numbers of skilled and trained staff working at the service.
People who used the service told us that the service had good carers that were well-trained and generally arrived on time.
People could comment or raise issues about the service in several ways including formally via a complaints process.
There was a quality assurance system in place at the service. The provider was open to feedback and had developed an action plan to help monitor the service and address aspects of the service that required improving.
There were no breaches of the regulations. The service was meeting all of the relevant fundamental standards.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.