Background to this inspection
Updated
31 March 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 carried out by one inspector and one inspection manager on the first day and one inspector on the second day.
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 a short period of notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 3 March 2020 and ended on 4 March 2020. We visited the office location on both days.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection, such as notifications. These inform us of events that happen in the service which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We also sought feedback from the local authority.
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 our planning tool to collate and analyse the information before we inspected.
During the inspection
During the inspection, we visited the office and spoke with the registered manager, the care manager, the team leader, the administrator and finance manager. We also spoke with five people using the service, four relatives and four members of staff over the telephone.
We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and associated documentation as well as one person’s medicines records. We also looked at the staff training records, one staff member’s recruitment records and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policies and procedures.
Updated
31 March 2020
About the service
Crossroads in East Lancashire is a domiciliary care agency that is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. 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. At the time of the inspection, 57 people were receiving personal care from the agency.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe and staff were kind and caring. Staff understood how to protect people from harm or discrimination and had access to safeguarding adults’ procedures. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. Appropriate recruitment procedures ensured prospective staff were suitable to work for the service. The registered manager carried out risk assessments to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection. People received their medicines safely and were supported to eat and drink in accordance with their care plan.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s needs were assessed prior to them using the service. The provider had arrangements for the induction of new staff and provided regular training updates for existing staff. Staff were supported by the management team. People were helped to access healthcare services, as appropriate.
People and their relatives told us staff were caring and always showed kindness, respect and compassion. People and where appropriate their relatives had been consulted about their care needs and had been involved in the care planning process. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity. Staff were motivated and demonstrated a clear commitment to providing dignified and compassionate support. People were supported and encouraged to continue hobbies and interests of their choice. People and their relatives had access to a clear complaints procedure.
The management team carried out a number of audits to check the quality and safety of the service. The registered manager provided clear leadership and took into account the views of people, their relatives and staff on the quality of care provided. The registered manager and staff used the feedback to make ongoing improvements to 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 9 September 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.