Updated 4 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 an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes,
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 a short period of 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 18 November 2019 and ended on 22 November 2019. We visited the office location on 19 November 2019.
What we did before the inspection
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 reviewed information we had received about the service. We also sought feedback from the local authority. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with two people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the nominated individual, registered manager and three support workers. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also sought feedback from two professionals who have experience of liaising with the service.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and a sample of medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.