Day to Day Care Limited

Updated 19 January 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection site visit activity started on 22 November 2017. The inspection was carried out by one inspector. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice, to ensure that the registered manager would be available to assist with the inspection.

Before the inspection we looked at the information we held about the service. This information included statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also asked the local authority commissioning the service for their views of the service.

We spoke with 12 people using the service and two relatives and asked them for their views about the service. We also spoke with the registered manager, the provider and five staff members. We reviewed records, including the care records of four people using the service, four staff members' recruitment files and training records. We also looked at records related to the management of the service such as surveys, accident and incident records and policies and procedures.

Updated 19 January 2018

This announced inspection took place on 22 November 2017. This was the first inspection of this service which was registered with the Care Quality Commission in September 2016.

Day to Day Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to older adults and younger disabled adults. At the time of our inspection approximately 67 people were receiving personal care and support from this service.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The service had appropriate safeguarding procedures and whistleblowing procedures in place. Staff were aware of the procedures and knew how to safeguard the people they supported. Risks to people were assessed and identified, there was clear guidance for staff on how to support people and minimise potential risks. Medicines were managed safely and records showed that people were receiving their medicines as prescribed by health care professionals. People were protected from risk of infection as staff had been trained in infection control and food hygiene. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work. There were enough staff to meet people's care and support needs.

Pre-assessments of people’s needs were carried out prior to them joining the service to ensure the service could meet their care needs. Staff completed an induction when they started work and they had completed training that was relevant to peoples’ needs. Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals. The registered manager and staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005(MCA) and acted according to legislation. The provider had effective systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.

Staff asked for people’s consent before providing care and support. People were supported to have a balanced diet. People had access to a range of healthcare professionals when required. People were treated in a kind and caring way. People had been consulted about the care and support requirements. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and they encouraged people to be as independent as possible. People were provided with information about the service in the form of a service user guide.

People were involved in their planning their care needs and received person-centred care. Care plans were well organised and provided clear guidance for staff on how to support people in meeting their individual needs. People were aware of the complaints procedure and knew how to make a complaint. Complaints were managed and dealt with in a timely manner. Staff had received training on equality and diversity. The registered manager said that the service would support people according to their diverse needs if and when required. There was a live electronic monitoring (ECM) system in place for the service to monitor missed and late call visits.

The service had effective processes in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. The provider carried out regular spot and competency checks to make sure people were being supported in line with their care plans. There was an out of hours on call system in place to support staff when they needed it. Feedback was sought from people about the service, through telephone surveys. Staff were complimentary about the service and said that they enjoyed working for the service.