DayByDay Care Limited

Updated 23 June 2023

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 and staff.

Inspection team

An inspector and an Expert by Experience undertook this 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 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

We gave the service notice of the inspection. This was because we needed the registered manager to provide information and documents so that we could review these remotely using technology. Inspection activity started on 30 May 2023 and ended on 6 June 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information report (PIR). 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 11 people over the telephone, and sought the views of 11 staff, who all responded by email. We spoke with the registered manager via a video call. We reviewed 3 people’s care plans and medication administration records (MARs). We reviewed the provider’s policies and a range of other documents relating to the management of the service, including meeting minutes and audits. We received feedback from 1 professional who worked with the service.

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as video calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation. Inspection activity took place on 30 and 31 May, and 2 and 6 June 2023.

Updated 23 June 2023

About the service

DayByDay Care Limited is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people. The service provides support to people who live in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 25 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 using this service and what we found

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support: Care plans maximised people's choice, control and independence.

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.

Right Care: People received person-centred care which promoted people's dignity, privacy and human rights.

Right Culture: The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using the service were able to lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

Systems, processes and practices were in place to safeguard people from abuse. People felt safe. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding and were confident any issues or concerns they raised would be actioned. Risks to people were assessed and managed. Risk monitoring took place and required actions identified and took place. People told us care was unrushed and staff told us there was enough staff. Robust recruitment processes were in place. Medicines administration was done safely and best practice guidance was followed. Staff were trained and assessed as competent to administer medicines. Good infection prevention and control practices were in place. There was good oversight and processes in place so that lessons were learned, and improvements made.

People's needs and choices were assessed and reviewed regularly or when changes occurred. Staff were well-trained, received support and felt confident to deliver care safely. People were supported to eat and drink. Staff made sure people were left with drinks and food where needed. Staff were deployed effectively and people were supported when, and for how long, they needed. Some people said they would like to receive a rota so they knew which staff would be coming to support them. Staff were vigilant about monitoring people's health and wellbeing. People told us staff supported them to make and attend health appointments. Staff recognised the importance of following health professional advice, and this was always recorded. People had consented to their care and support. Staff ensured people were given choices and recognised the importance of supporting people to maintain their independence.

Staff were aware of the provider's vision and strategy through their induction process. People and staff described an open culture. A governance framework was in place to ensure responsibilities were clear and quality performance and risks were understood and managed. The provider had issued and acted on feedback received from people, relative and staff surveys. The provider had made improvements in how the service was managed and run. The provider had identified and planned further improvements. The service worked closely with professionals to facilitate best outcomes for people.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (29 April 2022). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

At our last inspection we recommended the provider reviewed their policies to ensure audit systems and process checks remained effective in driving the areas requiring improvement. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on this recommendation and improvements had been made.

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 17 March 2022. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve staffing.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe, effective and well-led which contain those requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for DayByDay Care Limited on our 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.