Updated 12 June 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
An inspector and an Expert by Experience carried out this inspection. 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 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 25 May 2021 and ended on 1 June 2021. We visited the office location on 25 May 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we held about the service, including the notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are reports on changes, events or incidents the provider is legally obliged to send us within required timescales. We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection.
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 people and eight relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff, including the registered manager, the nominated individual and care staff. 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 three people's care records and three medication records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training and quality assurance records.