Background to this inspection
Updated
18 September 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 one 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 a short period notice of the inspection 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 5 September 2019 and ended on 10 September 2019. We visited the office location on 5 September 2019 and spoke to staff on the telephone on the 10 September 2019.
What we did before the inspection
We sought feedback from 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 of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with one person who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke staff including the nominated individual, registered manager, deputy manager, and two care workers. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider which was a registered charity.
We reviewed records. This included one-person care records and medication records. We looked at one staff file in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.
Updated
18 September 2019
About the service
Connect and Care is a small domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to adults who want to remain independent in their own home in the community. The service was registered to provide care for older people and younger adults, people living with dementia and people with physical disabilities.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were happy with the support they received and were complimentary about the staff who supported them. Staff were caring, motivated and enjoyed their work.
People told us staff were reliable and calls were not missed, and staff turned up on time and stayed for as long as they should have.
Risks to people from health conditions and the environment were managed. Staff used gloves and aprons when these were needed to protect people from the risk of infection. Medicines were safely managed, and people received these as prescribed.
People’s needs were assessed, and the assessment was used to develop a care plan based on people’s needs and preferences.
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. People’s choices were respected, and staff understood people with capacity had the right to make unwise choices.
People were referred to healthcare services where needed to help them to improve their health.
People were well cared for and their privacy and dignity were respected. Staff supported people to remain independent.
Staff had the training and skills they needed to support people. Staff were supervised and their competency to carry out tasks was assessed to make sure they were safe.
The service was well-led by a passionate registered manager who understood their role and responsibilities. People’s views were listened too. There were strong links within the community. The provider was a charitable trust and provided other services such as advocacy on a voluntary basis which was of benefit to people.
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 1 November 2018 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the registration date of the service.
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.