Coastal Care Agency

Updated 7 March 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. This includes providing support for people living with dementia, mental health and older people.

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit to ensure we had access to the office base and because we needed to be sure that they would be in.

The inspection site visit was on 31 January 2018. The process included an on-site office visit. We visited two people in their home, plus telephone interviews with people who received a service and their relatives/carers.

Prior to this inspection, as part of our planning, we reviewed all the information we held about the service, including data about safeguarding and statutory notifications. Statutory notifications are required to be submitted by the provider to the Care Quality Commission to advise of important events. We spoke with the local authority to gain their feedback about the care people received. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced when accessing the service.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

An adult social care inspector carried out the inspection.

During the inspection, we visited two people in their own homes, also we spoke with six people who used the service and two carers/relatives. We also spoke with the care co coordinator as the registered manager/owner was not available on the day of the site visit. In addition we spoke with five care staff and a senior carer. We looked at the care records of two people who used the service and training and recruitment records of three staff members. We contacted the registered manager/owner to discuss our findings following the site visit.

We looked at records relating to the management of the service. We did this to ensure the agency had oversight of the service and they could respond to any concerns highlighted or lead the service in ongoing improvements. We also looked at staffing levels focusing on how staff provided care within a geographical area.

Updated 7 March 2018

Coastal Care provides domiciliary care to homes around Lancaster, Carnforth, Morecambe and surrounding areas. This agency provides domiciliary services to people who require support in their home. Support is provided to a wide range of people, both male and female and also offers support for carers. The service operates seven days a week. The service is contactable 24 hours a day. At the time of our inspection visit there were 39 people supported by the agency.

At the last inspection in January 2016 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People supported by the Coastal Care told us they were treated with respect, patience and kindness and reiterated they were not rushed. One person said, “This is an excellent service with caring people who don’t rush around despite limits on time. I can only say good things about them.”

Staff members said they were allocated sufficient time to visit people and undertake their duties. One staff member said, “We do spend the time we need and try not to rush.”

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided.

Staff had been appropriately trained and supported. They had skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and social needs.

There was a complaint system should people have concerns about the service and staff attitude, however none had been received by the agency.

The registered manager/owner had procedures in place to minimise the potential risk of abuse or unsafe care. Staff had received safeguarding training and were able to describe good practice about protecting people from potential abuse or poor practice.

Recruitment procedures remained robust to add to ensuring suitable staff were employed and keep people safe. In addition risks were identified and documented for potential risk of accidents such as the home environment staff supported people in.

Risk assessments and care records were organised and had identified the care and support people required. We found they were personalised and informative about care people received. They had been kept under review and updated annually or when changes occurred.

The service had safe infection control procedures in place and staff had received infection control training. Staff wore protective clothing such as gloves and aprons when needed. This reduced the risk of cross infection.

Medication procedures protected people from unsafe management of their medicines. People received their medicines as prescribed and when required them. Also when staff supported people and when appropriate staff were provided with personal protective equipment to protect people and themselves from the spread of infection.

Staff rotas we were shown reviewed evidenced there were sufficient numbers and skill mixes of staff to meet people’s requirements in their home. People we spoke with said they found staff to be well trained and knowledgeable about their responsibilities. One person who received a service said, “They seem well trained and confident. I know the ones who come here are good cooks.”

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Staff supported people to have a nutritious dietary and fluid intake. Assistance was provided in preparation of food and drinks as people needed.

When required staff supported people to attend healthcare appointments and liaised with their GP and other healthcare professionals. This was confirmed by records kept by the agency and talking with people who used the service.

The registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included regular audits and staff meetings to seek their views about the service provided. They produced surveys and sent them to people’s home to complete.