Background to this inspection
Updated
6 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
The inspection team consisted of one inspector.
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.
Notice of inspection:
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 07 February 2020 and ended on 11 February 2020. We visited the office location on 10 February 2020 to see the registered manager, and to review care records and other documentation relating to the service.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed the information we held on the service. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people supported by the service. We also sought feedback from Blackpool local authority. 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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with 25 people who used the service and eight relatives. We also visited the homes of two people who used the service. In addition, we spoke with14 staff members including senior staff, and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. These included care records of two people, arrangements for staff recruitment, medication procedures and records relating to the management of the service.
Updated
6 March 2020
About the service
Sagecare (Squires Gate) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support. They supported 210 people living within their own homes at the time of inspection. 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 were managed well so people felt safe. Staff were recruited safely, and people were happy with staffing arrangements and times of their visits. Procedures were in place to support people safely with their medicines. Safe infection control measures were followed to protect people from harm.
People's needs were assessed, and support was agreed with the person along with times of visits. People were happy with the support they received with meal preparation. Staff received the training and support they required and access to training staff told us was good. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were treated with kindness and respect. One person said, “They are so caring, and nothing is too much trouble.” The registered manager provided people with information about local advocacy services, to ensure they could access support to express their views if they needed to.
The service was flexible and care arrangements were changed and adapted to meet people's changing needs and their wishes. One person said, “If you need extra time they are very obliging and when changes occur they are so good and will adapt to our needs.” People’s communication needs had been assessed and where support was required these had been met. The service listened to people's experiences, concerns and complaints. Concerns received were investigated and action was taken to ensure positive outcomes and lessons learned for future incidents.
The registered manager and management team worked in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure people received coordinated care which met their needs. People were happy with how the service was managed. Staff felt well supported by the registered manager. The registered manager and provider completed regular audits and checks. This ensured the quality of the service was maintained and continually evolved.
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 19 October 2017). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.
Why we inspected
This was the services first planned inspection.
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.