Background to this inspection
Updated
27 April 2024
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
The inspection team consisted of 2 inspectors and 1 Expert by Experience.
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 and specialist housing.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
The inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider and registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. 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 (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
During the inspection
We spoke with 6 people and 6 relatives on the telephone about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 10 members of staff including care staff, management staff and the provider, who is also the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included 15 people's care records including care plans, risk assessments and medicines records. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were also reviewed including safeguarding and incident monitoring, auditing processes and staff training.
Updated
27 April 2024
About the service
The Partnership Healthcare Group Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people using the service.
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.
People’s experience of the service and what we found:
The provider did not monitor the quality of care provided in order to drive improvements and ensure delivery of safe and good quality care. People had experienced missed and late calls, people's accidents and incidents were not monitored to reduce the likelihood of them happening again and people's care plans were not personalised.
Risks to people had not been fully assessed including risks associated with mobility, skin integrity, catheter care and health conditions. Medicines were not always managed safely. Not all people's medication administration records (MAR) detailed their prescribed medicines. There was a risk people did not receive their medicines as prescribed.
People and their relatives were not given the opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of the care provided. People and relatives told us communication from staff was poor. Not all staff felt supported by the provider, who is also the registered manager.
The provider had not ensured people were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s individual needs. The provider had not obtained satisfactory evidence of staff conduct in previous employment to ensure they were suitable in the role.
People were not always involved in planning their care. This meant people's care plans lacked information to help staff get to know people well. Mental capacity assessments were not always completed for decisions relating to people's care or treatment.
People told us they felt safe and that staff were kind and caring and respected their privacy and dignity. People were protected from the risk of infection. People were supported by staff to eat and drink well.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The service was registered with us on 24 September 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the recruitment of staff and lack of communication from the provider. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
Enforcement
We have identified breaches in relation to risk management, medicines and management and oversight.
We have taken enforcement action and cancelled the provider's registration.