Background to this inspection
Updated
31 July 2019
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was conducted by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Notice of inspection
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 24 June 2019 and ended on 3 July 2019 . We visited the office location on 24 June to look at records and speak with staff. We spoke to people, their relatives and staff on the telephone on 2 and 3 July 2019.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with six people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the provider, registered manager, care co-ordinator/trainer and care support workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 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 reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.
Updated
31 July 2019
About the service
Intercare Community Support Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 67 people at the time of the inspection.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were supported by staff who put them at the heart of what they do. People and relatives were happy with the service they received and spoke positively to us about staff with whom they had good relationships.
Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work and there were enough staff available
to meet people's care and support needs. Staff received comprehensive training to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. Staff enjoyed working at the service and felt supported by each other and the registered manager.
Care plans and risk assessments were detailed and kept up to date. Information about people was written in a respectful and personalised way. People and their relatives were involved in the planning and delivery of their care and were kept informed when there were changes.
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.
There was a complaints procedure in place and people were confident if they did have any complaints that these would be addressed. When there were problems, the provider dealt with them appropriately and put measures in place to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
People, relatives and staff were encouraged to share their feedback and the registered manager was open to suggestions and approachable. The registered manager was keen to improve and extend the service by using new technology and promoting good practice.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 8 September 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.