Updated 29 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 provides care and support to people living in two ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.
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
This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 2 March 2022 and ended on 22 March 2022. We visited the location’s office on 2 March 2022 and carried out home visits on 3 March 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about Network Healthcare since it first began to provide a service. 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 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 sought feedback from the local authority, safeguarding team and other health and social care professionals who work with the service. We checked information held by Companies House and the Information Commissioner’s Office. We checked for any online reviews and relevant social media, and we looked at the content of the provider’s website. We asked the registered manager to prepare some documents in advance of visiting the service’s office. We used this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with two people and four relatives about their experience of care and support provided by the service. We spoke with the registered manager, the assistant manager, the business manager and four staff. We reviewed a range of records, including two people’s care records and medicines administration records and five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke with the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found and spoke with three community health and social care professionals who engage with the service. We requested and received further records, quality assurance documents, and were provided with a variety of additional evidence for consideration.