Meridian Health and Social Care - Burnley

Updated 26 April 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

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 did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The manager told us they had begun the process to register.

Notice of inspection

We gave short notice of the inspection, because we wanted to ensure the manager was available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 15 March 2022 and ended on 16 March 2022. We visited the location’s office on both days.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service, including information from the provider about important events that had taken place at the service, which they are required to send us. We also sought feedback from the local authority.

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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection, we visited the office and spoke with the manager, the area manager northwest, the regional director north, the team leader and the care coordinator. We also spoke with seven people using the service, three relatives and three members of staff over the telephone.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and associated documentation including medicines records. We also looked at the staff training records and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures.

After the inspection

The manager confirmed they had submitted their application to register with CQC. The manager also sent us a copy of an action plan to address areas for improvement from the latest satisfaction survey.

Updated 26 April 2022

Meridian Health and Social Care – Burnley is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes.

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. At the time of the inspection, 67 people were using the service, all of which were receiving support with personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives spoke positively about staff and told us they were happy with the service they received. People confirmed staff were friendly, they were treated with kindness and compassion and their privacy and dignity was respected. Risks were assessed and monitored, which reduced the potential of avoidable harm. People were also protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection. People received their medicines safely and were supported to eat and drink in accordance with their care plan.

There were sufficient staff to support people and safe recruitment procedures were followed. People were supported by staff who had been appropriately trained and were skilled in their role. Staff told us they were regularly supported through supervision.

People told us they felt safe with staff. Effective systems were in place to ensure people's safety. There were systems to help protect people from abuse and to investigate any allegations, incidents or accidents. People were supported to access healthcare services, as appropriate.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s needs were assessed prior to them using the service. Staff understood the importance of respecting people's diverse needs and promoting independence.

People and their relatives told us staff were caring and showed kindness, sensitivity and respect. People and where appropriate their relatives had been consulted about their care needs and were involved in their ongoing care and support. People and their relatives had access to a complaints procedure, if they wished to raise a concern.

The management team carried out a number of audits to check the quality and safety of the service. Spot checks were carried out to monitor staff performance. People were asked for their views and their suggestions were used to improve the service and make any necessary changes.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 14 June 2018.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection following a change in the provider.

Follow up

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