Background to this inspection
Updated
11 September 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
This inspection was carried out by one inspector and two experts 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
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
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 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 this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We visited four people in their homes accompanied by their relatives. We spoke over the telephone with eight people who used the service and three of their relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the head of operations, manager, care co-ordinator and three care workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four 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
11 September 2019
About the service
Crossroads Cheshire West and Wirral is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people in their own homes. They were providing a service to 151 people including children 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. At the time of inspection, twenty-five people were receiving a regulated service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were supported by staff that had been safely recruited and had received an induction and training suitable for their role. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and people told us regular staff visited them and had got to know them well.
People’s needs were assessed before they were supported by the service. Each person had a care plan that reflected their preferences and routines. Care plans held sufficient information to guide staff on how best to meet people’s needs and they were regularly reviewed and updated. People told us staff were kind, caring and compassionate. Staff had a good understanding of how to meet people’s individual needs.
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.
People were protected from the risk of abuse. Safeguarding policies and procedures were in place and staff had received training on how to keep people safe. They told us they felt confident to raise any concerns they had about people’s safety.
Medication was managed safely. Staff who managed medication had completed the required training and had access to medicines policies and best practice guidelines to support their practice. Medication administration records (MARs) were fully completed and regularly reviewed. Staff had received infection control training and followed good practice to minimise the risk of infection being spread.
People’s privacy and dignity was respected and their independence promoted to the full. People spoke positively about the service and the staff that supported them. There were audit systems in place that identified areas for development and improvement. Governance systems were in place for the provider to have full oversight of the service.
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 17 January 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.