Background to this inspection
Updated
23 December 2022
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 and an Expert by Experience. 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.
The service had a manager registered with the CQC. 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.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service two working days' notice of the inspection because the service provides care to people in their own homes and we wanted to make sure that management were available on the day of the inspection site visit.
We visited the office location on 14 April 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered with the CQC. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
During the site visit we spoke with two members of staff which included the registered manager and care manager who was involved with the day to day running of the service.
We reviewed a range of records. We looked at three electronic staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at medication administration records, care records, risk assessments, quality assurance records, policies and procedures. We spoke with two people who received care from the service and four relatives. We also spoke with three care workers.
Updated
23 December 2022
About the service
Change Social Care Solutions is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides support to people of all ages and different abilities. At the time of inspection, the service provided care to 26 people in total, ten of whom received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspect the service received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service:
Feedback from people who used the service and relatives was consistently good. People told us they felt safe when being cared for by care workers and this was confirmed by relatives we spoke with.
We looked at medicines management and found that the majority of these were completed with no gaps. However, we found there were a few occasions where care workers were not always accurately recording on Medication Administration Records (MARs) if medicines were being administered. Medicine’s audits failed to identify the issues we found during the inspection. We have made a recommendation in respect of this.
Positive relationships had been developed between care workers and people they supported. Feedback indicated that care workers usually arrived on time. Consistency was an important aspect of the care provided. People told us they received care and support from the same group of care workers.
Assessments were carried out to ensure people's needs could be met. Where risks were identified, there was guidance in place for care workers to ensure that people were safe.
Policies and systems were in place to help ensure people were protected from the risk of abuse. People were protected by staff who understood how to identify and report any abuse concerns.
Recruitment processes were in place and the service carried out appropriate checks so only care workers who were suitable to work with people using the service were employed.
The provider had taken measures to prevent and control the spread of COVID -19 and other infections.
Care workers told us they enjoyed working at the service and they were well supported by the management team. Staff felt valued and motivated.
There was a system in place to monitor the quality of the service being provided to people. This involved telephone calls and regular visits. Quality assurance systems and processes included audits looking at various aspects of the service.
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 on 28 March 2019).
Why we inspected:
We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services which have had a recent Direct Monitoring Approach (DMA) assessment where no further action was needed to seek assurance about this decision and to identify learning about the DMA process.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.