Background to this inspection
Updated
18 June 2022
The inspection
We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.
Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service, their relatives and staff.
Inspection team
Five inspectors and an Expert by Experience carried out the 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.
Registered Manager
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave a short notice period of the inspection because we needed to ask the registered manager to send us information and to obtain people’s consent to receive a telephone call from us.
Inspection activity started on 6 May 2022 and ended on 11 May 2022.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since its registration, including notifications of significant events. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.
We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with the registered manager via Microsoft Teams about how the service was run.
We spoke with 31 people who used the service and nine relatives to hear their feedback about the care the agency provided. We received feedback from two professionals who had worked with the service and from 11 staff about the training, support and information they received.
We reviewed information sent to us by the registered manager, including care plans and risk assessments for 10 people, medicines administration records for five people, recruitment records for 10 staff, training records, accident and incident records, quality audits, meeting minutes, satisfaction surveys, the complaints log and the agency’s business continuity plan.
After the inspection
We met with the registered manager via Microsoft Teams to share the feedback we had heard about how the service was run.
Updated
18 June 2022
About the service
Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and South West Kent provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes.
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.
The service was supporting 184 people at the time of our inspection, 163 of whom received personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Most people said the agency communicated well with them and kept them informed about any changes to their scheduled care visits. Some people told us the agency’s communication was not always effective, including if staff were running late.
People felt safe when staff provided their care. People told us they received a reliable service from staff who knew how to provide their care in a safe way.
Staff understood their responsibilities in protecting people from abuse and knew how to report any concerns they had. The provider’s recruitment procedures helped ensure only suitable staff were employed.
Risk assessments had been carried out to identify and minimise any risks involved in people’s care. People’s medicines were managed safely. If medicines errors occurred, staff sought and followed medical advice. Staff helped keep people’s homes clean and wore personal protective equipment (PPE) when they carried out their visits.
Staff had an induction when they started work and had access to the training they needed to carry out their roles. Records showed that some refresher training was overdue. The registered manager assured us they would take action to ensure staff attended the necessary refresher training.
People’s needs were assessed before they began to use the service. People told us their wishes and preferences about their care were listened to and incorporated into their care plans. Care plans were reviewed regularly to ensure they continued to reflect people’s needs.
Staff monitored people’s health effectively and responded promptly if people became unwell. Staff worked well with other professionals involved in people’s care to ensure they received the support they needed.
People received their care from consistent staff and had established positive relationships with their care workers. People said staff knew their preferences about their care and respected their choices. Staff supported people to maintain their independence where this was important to them.
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.
People told us they felt able to raise concerns when they were dissatisfied. People who had complained in the past said the agency had responded to and resolved their concerns.
People had opportunities to give feedback about the care they received and their views were listened to. This included regular telephone and face-to-face reviews and an annual survey. The agency’s quality monitoring systems enabled the office/management team to maintain an effective oversight of the service. The registered manager sent us an action plan setting out how improvements would be made in medicines management, staff training and communication.
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 6 August 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date the service was registered with us.
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.