Updated 31 May 2023
The inspection
We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2088 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meting 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 telephone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.
Performance review and assessment team
The performance review and assessment was carried out by 1 inspector.
Service and service type
This is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
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 performance review and assessment
This performance review and assessment was announced. We gave short notice on 10 May 2023 to the registered manager. This was so they would be available to support the performance review and assessment process.
Performance review and assessment activity started on 10 May 2023 and ended on 17 May 2023.
What we did before the performance review and assessment
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 reviewed the information we had received about the service since registration. We contacted the Local Authority and asked for feedback from them. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the performance review and assessment
This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as video calls, telephone calls and emails to enable us to engage with people and their relatives who used the service and also with staff. We used electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.
We spoke with 1 person and 6 relatives to gain their feedback on the service. Additionally, we gained feedback from 5 care staff and spoke with the registered manager and provider.
We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care plans and multiple records related to risk management and medicine administration. We looked at a variety of documents relating to the management of the service, including quality monitoring checks. We reviewed 3 staff recruitment files.