Walsall Domiciliary Care Service

Updated 12 February 2020

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 undertaken by two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

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 24 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.

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. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with four people using the service, two care staff, three admin staff and the Registered Manager.

We reviewed a range of documents and records including the care records for four people and related medicine records and three staff files and training records. We also looked at records that related to the management and quality assurance of the service.

Updated 12 February 2020

Walsall Domiciliary Care provides personal care to people within their own homes. Some people live in properties rented from the provider. The service provides support for older people and younger adults and those with a physical disability. People with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, mental health issues or people who misuse drugs and alcohol. At the time of the inspection there were 41 people using the service.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People felt they were safe and staff cared for them appropriately. Staff knew how to escalate issues and concerns and were aware of potential risks to people when providing support. People received their medicines as they required. Staff used correct equipment, such as gloves and aprons when assisting people. Accidents and incidents were managed appropriately.

Staff received an effective induction and appropriate ongoing training. People felt staff supported their individual needs and requirements. People received food and drinks as required. Staff assisted people to maintain their health. People were supported in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People felt staff were kind and caring towards them. People were given choices and were able to make their own decisions as far as possible. Staff supported people to be independent and ensured people’s privacy and dignity was maintained.

People felt involved in the development of their care plans. Care plans were informative for staff and provided them with guidance regarding people’s needs and preferences and how they would like these to be met. A complaints procedure was in place and people knew how to raise concerns and felt these would be addressed.

People using the service and staff thought the service was managed well. The registered manager was described as approachable in the way they managed the service. Systems were in place to monitor the delivery of the service. Where issues arose action was taken to address these.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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 16 May 2017)

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.