Background to this inspection
Updated
8 July 2021
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.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses.
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 it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 19 May 2021 and ended on 3 June 2021. We visited the office location on 21 May 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager, administrator and deputy manager. The registered manager is also the nominated individual for the provider. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures was reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke with four people who use the service and four relatives to hear their feedback about the care provided. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with five members of staff. We spoke with three professionals who regularly engage with the service.
Updated
8 July 2021
About the service
Cedar Oak Healthcare Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing care to people in their own homes. The service is registered to provide care to older people, people living with sensory impairments, mental health needs, dementia, and physical and learning disabilities. 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. There were 15 people receiving personal care on the day of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People using the service told us they felt safe with staff. People told us they had not experienced missed visits and that staff were usually on time. Risks associated with people’s care were assessed and managed appropriately including in relation to the management of medicines.
Staff told us they usually had sufficient time to travel between visits. Staff had received relevant training in relation to their role and told us they were offered opportunities for further training and progression.
We observed staff following infection prevention and control guidelines in relation to COVID-19 whilst in the office. People told us staff used personal protective equipment appropriately when they visited their homes.
People and relatives told us staff were kind, caring and respectful towards them. Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible. People’s care plans and the support from the registered manager provided staff with the information required to support people effectively.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided. People using the service, relatives and staff knew how to complain and told us they felt confident the registered manager would listen to their concerns and address these.
People using the service, relatives and staff told us they felt the leadership of the service was effective and encouraged people to be engaged and involved in their care.
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.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 16 October 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by our data insight that assesses potential risks at services, concerns in relation to aspects of care provision and as the service had not been inspected since registering with CQC. As a result, we undertook a comprehensive inspection of all five key areas.
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.