Caring Companions

Updated 20 February 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

Inspection team:

This inspection was conducted by one adult social care inspector on all days of the inspection.

Service and service type:

Caring Companions is a domiciliary care service providing support and personal care to people in their own homes.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality commission. This means they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 24 hours notice of the inspection visit because it is a small service and we needed to make sure that someone would be available.

The inspection site visit started on 14 January and ended on 18 January 2019. It included visits to people’s homes and telephone calls to relatives. We visited the provider's office on 14 and 18 January to see the registered manager and to review care records and other records relevant to the quality monitoring of the service.

What we did:

Our planning took into account information we held about the service. This included information about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse; and we looked at issues raised in complaints and how the service responded to them. We obtained information from the local authority commissioners and safeguarding team. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection, we spoke with two people using the service and one family member to ask about their experience of care. We also spoke with the registered manager and two members of staff. We looked at two people’s care records and a selection of other records including quality monitoring records, recruitment and training records for four staff and records of checks carried out on the premises and equipment.

Updated 20 February 2019

About the service:

Caring Companions is a small domiciliary care service that provides support and personal care to older people in their owns homes within the St Helens area. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting three people with personal care.

What life is like for people using this service:

At the previous inspection the registered provider was in breach of regulation relating to governance. At that time they had no clear systems and processes in place to show that regular checks and reviews had taken place on records or staff observation. During this inspection, improvements had been made.

The registered manager had implemented new systems to record any checks that had been completed on people’s care records, daily logs and medication administration records. They had also completed regular observations on staff competency to deliver effective person-centred care. Some staff observations had not been recorded, however staff confirmed that these were carried out on a regular basis. We made a recommendation in relation to this.

People told us they felt they received care in a safe way. Individual risks to people and the environment had been identified and assessed and measures put in place to manage them and minimise the risk of avoidable harm occurring. Staff showed a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities for keeping people safe from harm. Medicines were managed safely by trained staff who ensured that people received medicines at the right time.

Sufficient numbers of suitably qualified and skilled staff were deployed to meet people’s individual needs. Staff had received a range of training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely. People told us they received the right care and support from staff who were well trained and competent at what they did.

Staff showed a genuine motivation to deliver care in a person-centred way based on people’s preferences and likes. Staff treated people with kindness, compassion and respect and ensured that people’s dignity was maintained at all times. People spoke positively about the care and support they received. People told us they received support from regular staff who knew them well. They told us staff always arrived on time and stayed the right amount of time.

People’s needs and choices were assessed and planned for. Care plans identified intended outcomes for people and how they were to be met in a way they preferred. People received support to maintain good nutrition and hydration and their healthcare needs were understood and met.

Records relating to consent for care were accurately completed and people told us they were always offered choice and control over the care they received.

Care was delivered in a personalised way which was in line with information recorded in people's care plans. People and family members knew how to make a complaint and they were confident about complaining should they need to. They were confident that their complaint would be listened to and acted upon quickly.

The leadership of the service promoted person centred care and a positive culture within the staff team. People, family members and staff all described the registered manager as supportive and approachable. The registered manager showed a continued desire to improve on the service and displayed knowledge and understanding around the importance of working closely with other agencies and healthcare professionals where needed.

Rating at last inspection: Requires improvement (Report published 13 February 2018)

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on the rating from the previous inspection.