Flexi Care & Support

Updated 5 February 2019

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 took place on 16 and 17 January 2019 and was carried out by one adult social care inspector. The inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small service, and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in. We made telephone calls to people who used the service and staff on the 17 January 2019.

Before the inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included notifications from the provider and speaking with the local authority contracts and safeguarding teams.

The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a document which gives the provider the opportunity to tell us about the service. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We spent time looking at records, which included two people’s care records, four staff recruitment files and records relating to the management of the service.

We spoke with five relatives of people who used the service, three care workers, the registered manager and director.

Updated 5 February 2019

This inspection took place on 16 and 17 January 2019 and was announced.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older people, adults, young people, people with learning and profound disabilities and people at the end of life. Not everyone using FlexiCare & Support receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection 12 people were receiving personal care from the service.

There was 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.

At the last inspection November 2017, the service was rated as requires improvement. Following this inspection, improvements had been made and service was no longer rated as requires improvement.

Staff were being recruited safely and there were enough staff to take care of people. Staff were receiving appropriate training and they told us the training was good and relevant to their role. Staff were supported by the registered manager and were receiving formal supervision where they could discuss their ongoing development needs.

People who used the service and their relatives told us staff were helpful, attentive and caring. They told us they were treated with respect and compassion.

Care plans were up to date and detailed what care and support people wanted and needed. Risk assessments were in place and showed what action had been taken to reduce any risks which had been identified. People felt safe with staff and the registered manager knew how to make appropriate referrals to the safeguarding team when necessary.

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.

The service worked in partnership with other agencies including health professionals to help ensure people’s healthcare needs were met. Medicines were managed safely.

Staff knew about people’s dietary needs and preferences.

There was a complaints procedure and people knew how to complain.

Everyone spoke highly of the registered manager they who they said was approachable and supportive. The provider had effective systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided and where issues were identified they acted to make improvements.

We found all the fundamental standards were being met. Further information is in the detailed findings below.