Updated 9 November 2023
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector and an Expert 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 houses and flats.
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 not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been in post for 3 month and had submitted an application to register with the CQC. We are currently assessing this application.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on September 26, 2023, and ended on 2 October 2023. We visited the location on September 26, 2023.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke in person with the nominated individual and the manager. We contacted 7 people using the service, 2 of their relatives, 8 staff and 2 healthcare professionals to get their experience and views about the care provided. We reviewed a range of records. This included 6 people's care and risk assessment records. We looked at 6 staff files in relation to recruitment, training, and staff supervision. We checked a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, policies and procedures. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We requested additional evidence to be sent to us after our inspection. We received the information which was used as part of our inspection.