Nexus Care Services

Updated 14 March 2023

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 2 inspectors, 1 assistant inspector and an 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

Nexus Care Services is a large domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes.

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 the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or 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 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 return. 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

Inspection activity started on the 18 January 2023 and ended on the 9 February 2023. We visited the location’s office on the 26 January 2023.

We spoke with the registered manager and the managing director. We spoke with 13 staff members, 7 relatives and 10 people using the service. We reviewed a range of records. This included 7 care records and 2 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 reviewed.

Updated 14 March 2023

About the service

Nexus Care Services is a large domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. The service provides personal care to both older and younger adults, people with dementia or who have a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were 97 people using the service.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. In this service, the Care Quality Commission can only inspect the service received by people who get support with personal care. This includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people receive such support, we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People told us they felt safe with staff. Staff were recruited in a safe manner and pre employment checks were completed. People had risk assessments in place to reduce known risk and staff were aware of these. People were supported to take their medication by staff. Staff received medication training and regular competency checks. Staff understood how to mitigate the risk of cross infection and staff told us personal protective equipment was readily available. Following incidents and accidents the management team carried out investigations and carried out action plans to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

Staff had received an induction before they started working with people and there was evidence on-going training was taking place. Pre-assessments were completed with people and their relatives when they joint the service. The provider would work with other health professionals when needed. Staff supported people with their eating and drinking.

People said staff were kind to them and encouraged their independence. People knew how to make a complaint if they were not happy and we saw evidence when a complaint was made an investigation was carried out. Care plans outlined people’s needs; however, they were not regularly reviewed.

People and staff views were sought regarding the service and quality of care received. Staff felt supported by the provider. The provider had effective governance systems in place and audits were regularly completed.

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.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Last rating and update

This service was registered with us on 22 February 2021 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service at the previous premises was good, published on 9 April 2019.

Why we inspected

We were prompted to carry out this inspection due to concerns we received about the lack of detail in risk assessments, care plans not being up to date and concerns regarding staffing. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns.

Follow up

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

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