Background to this inspection
Updated
12 December 2019
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 a single inspector.
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 three working days’ 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 19th November 2019 and ended on 20th November 2019. We visited the office location on 20th November.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people and their relatives on the telephone and visited five people who had agreed for us to visit them in their own homes and spoke with four relatives. At the registered office we spoke with four staff, the director and the registered manager. We received feedback from four health and social care professionals.
We reviewed a range of records which included people’s risk assessments and care records, medicine records and daily log sheets. We also reviewed information which detailed when people had their support visits, quality monitoring, and records in relation to the management of the service. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision.
Updated
12 December 2019
About the service
Serendipity Healthcare Ltd (Amber Valley Branch) is a domiciliary care provider providing care to people living in their own homes, so they can live as independently as possible. At the time of our inspection 55 people were using the service. Not everyone using Serendipity Healthcare Ltd (Amber Valley Branch) services receives a 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 consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Risks to people's health and wellbeing were assessed and plans were in place to monitor people
and to assist them in a safe manner. Staff knew how to support people safely, including the use of
equipment to assist them to move. Staff were supported and trained to ensure they had the skills
to support people effectively. They understood how to protect people from harm and were
confident any concerns they raised, would be reported and investigated by the management team. Staff had been recruited safely and there were enough staff to effectively meet the current packages of care which supported people’s needs.
Where people received assistance to take medicines, records were kept so this was done safely.
When people required assistance to eat or drink, the provider ensured this was planned to meet
their preferences and their current assessed need. People had support, when required, to
liaise with healthcare professionals to ensure they remained well.
People had developed caring relationships with the staff who supported them, and people told us they treated them with respect. People were appreciative and spoke fondly of staff. The provider had developed good working relationships with other health and social care professionals to support the needs of people using the service.
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.
There were systems in place to further monitor and drive improvement through auditing. People
were involved in their assessment and care planning and were asked for their feedback of the service. This helped to support the development of the service. There was a complaints procedure and any received were investigated and responded to.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 12/03/2018 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned full comprehensive inspection to ensure that the service was meeting the
regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and CQC.
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.