Care Angels (Batley) Limited

Updated 7 January 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 team was made up of one 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.

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.

Inspection activity started on 04 December 2019 and ended on 09 December 2019. We visited the office location on 04 and 05 December 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. This included looking at information held on our database about the service for example, statutory notifications completed by the registered provider. 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 also sought feedback from the local authority contracts and commissioning teams and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and eight relatives by telephone. We also carried out one home visit to speak with a person about their experiences and to look at their records, (with their consent). We spoke with the registered manager, the recruitment coordinator and five members of staff who were responsible for providing care to people.

To gather information, we looked at a variety of records. This included care records related to five people, and medicines administration records. We also looked at information related to the management of the service. This included audits, policies and procedures and quality assurance documents. We did this to check the management team had oversight of the service and to make sure the service was appropriately managed.

After the inspection

We continued to communicate with the registered manager to corroborate our findings.

Updated 7 January 2020

About the service

Care Angels (Batley) is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes within Batley and surrounding areas. 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 the inspection 34 people were receiving personal care.

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

People repeatedly described the care provided as “exceptional” and “outstanding.” Staff were referred to as angels and we were provided with a number of examples of when staff had gone above and beyond to enhance people’s self-worth and well-being. One person said, “[Registered manager] tells me I am inspirational. Staff treat me like I am inspirational too.” The caring nature of the management team extended to family members and staff also.

Everyone we spoke with told us the service was well-led. The management team and staff had clear roles and responsibilities and were committed to ensuring the service provided was good. There was an emphasis on developing a person-centred culture within the service. Staff praised the skills, commitment and caring nature of the management team.

People and relatives told us the service was person-centred. They said care was delivered in line with preferences and wishes. People were consulted with and involved in developing their care where appropriate. There was a focus on developing independence and promoting relationships and community networks. One person told us their life had changed for the better since they had been supported to attend an activity of their choosing. People told us concerns were proactively addressed by the senior management team. Lessons were learned from any feedback provided.

People told us they felt safe when being supported by staff from Care Angels (Batley). People described staff as reliable. Overall, people said they were supported by a staff team who knew them well. Staff said they were happy with the way their visits were planned and said they were not rushed to complete tasks. Processes continued to be implemented to ensure safeguarding concerns were taken seriously and responded to. Staff were aware of processes to follow should they have any concerns about the care and treatment of people who used the service. Risk was appropriately managed and addressed.

When people required support with diet and nutrition, care plans detailed support required. During the inspection we made some recommendations regarding documenting people’s dietary requirements. The registered manager acted swiftly to make the improvements in line with good practice. Staff told us they were adequately supported by the management team and were happy with the training provided.

Consent was routinely sought in line with good practice. The service worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). 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. Although capacity was routinely assessed, best interests decisions were not always decision specific. We have made a recommendation about this.

Overall, people said they were supported by a staff team who knew them well.

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 31 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.