Archived: Earlybirdcare Ltd

Updated 15 October 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to look at the overall quality of the service. We were unable to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014 as there was only one person using the service for a limited time on four days of the week.

The inspection was carried out by a single inspector. It took place on 21 September 2016 and was announced. We told the provider that we were coming, as, we needed to be sure that the manager would be available when we inspected as they were involved in the daily delivery of care.

Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. As part of our planning we looked at the information we held about the service including the PIR.

During our inspection we spoke with the person using the service and their relative, the registered manager and a staff member by phone. We looked at their support plan and a staff file as well as records related to the running of the service such as the service guide and policies and procedures.

Updated 15 October 2016

This was the provider's first inspection since their registration. Earlybird Care Ltd provides personal care for people in their own homes. At this inspection on 21 September 2016 only one person was using the service for a few hours a week. We did not find enough information about parts of the key questions we ask about services, or the experiences of people using the service, to provide a rating to each of the five questions and an overall rating for the service. We were therefore not able to rate the service against the characteristics of inadequate, requires improvement, good and outstanding at this inspection.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has

registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers,

they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the

requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the

service is run.

People told us they felt safe using the service. Any risks were identified, assessed and plans put in place to reduce the likelihood of them occurring. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and the provider had effective recruitment procedures to reduce the risk of unsuitable staff being employed. Staff received training and support to meet people’s needs. People were asked for their consent before care was provided. There were arrangements to comply with guidance and the law under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberties Safeguards.

People told us they were involved in planning their care and were supported to be as independent as possible. They said staff treated them with dignity and respect and were kind and caring. People’s care plans provided guidance for staff on how to support people to meet their needs.

At the time of inspection people were not receiving support with their medicines, but there was a medicines policy and procedure to guide staff in these circumstances. People were not being supported with their food and drink needs but we saw processes to manage this should it arise. People had access to health professionals when needed. There was a complaints procedure and people told us they had not needed to use this but were confident the registered manager would resolve any issues.

People told us they thought the service was well organised and their views were sought on a regular basis. Staff said the registered manager was supportive and always available. The registered manager had a system to monitor the quality of the service but this was not fully operational.