Grendon Cross Care

Updated 19 May 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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was conducted by one inspector.

Service and service type

Grendon Cross Care is a domiciliary care service, registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes in the community.

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 our inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 4 May 2022 and ended on 5 May 2022. We visited the office location on 4 May.

What we did before the inspection

In planning our inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service. This included any notifications (events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about) and feedback from the local authority.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

As part of the inspection we spoke with a relative of the person receiving care as they were unable to tell us about their experience. We had discussions with a director of the company and the registered manager who was also the Nominated Individual. 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 the persons care plan, associated risk assessments and Medication Administration Records (MAR). We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, training and staff supervision. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including staff rotas, complaints procedure, service user guide and quality assurance records.

After the inspection

We spoke with two care and support staff by telephone and received feedback via email from a further two care and support staff. We contacted two healthcare professional's involved in the care of the person using the service. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at the providers analysis of accidents and incidents, their initial assessment tool and key policies and procedures.

Updated 19 May 2022

About the service

Grendon Cross Care is a domiciliary care service. People are supported in their own homes so that they can live as independently as possible. At the time of our inspection there was one person with complex needs, receiving support 24 hours a day.

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

There were systems and processes in place to safeguard people from potential harm. Staff completed training about safeguarding and knew how to report abuse. Risks to people’s safety were assessed and strategies were put in place to reduce the risks.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people's needs safely. People were supported by regular staff who knew them and their needs well, which promoted continuity of care. The provider had followed their recruitment practices to ensure people employed were suitable to work at the service and support people safely.

People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff had been trained so they could support people with their medicines if it was required. People were kept safe from the spread of infection because staff consistently followed the providers infection control procedures.

People’s needs, and choices were fully assessed before they received a care package. Staff received an induction and ongoing training that enabled them to have the skills and knowledge to provide effective care.

Where the provider took on the responsibility, people were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their dietary needs. People were supported to live healthier lives and staff helped them to access healthcare services when required. We saw the service worked closely with healthcare professionals to ensure good outcomes for people.

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.

Staff understood people’s individual care needs and preferences and used this knowledge to provide people with person centred care.

People and their families were involved in the care planning and reviews of their care. The provider had a complaints procedure which was accessible to people using the service and was available in different formats. There had not been any complaints received at the time of our inspection, but systems were in place to address and investigate complaints.

The service had good governance systems in place to ensure all aspects of the service and people’s care were continuously assessed and monitored. A range of audits were in place to monitor the quality and safety of service provision.

Lessons were learned when things went wrong, and the provider was committed to the continuous improvement 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:

This service was registered with CQC on 6 November 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection following registration.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.