Swan Care and Support - Colchester

Updated 19 February 2020

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 team consisted of two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means 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 we needed to make sure the registered manager and staff would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 10 December 2019 and finished on 24 December 2019. We visited the office location on 10 December to meet with the registered manager and review care records and policies and procedures. We made telephone calls to people using the service and their relatives on 18 and 24 December 2019 to gather feedback about the service.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we looked at information, we held about the service. Including; details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as serious injury, events that stop the service running and safeguarding alerts. 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 five people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the Nominated Individual (NI), Head of Care Services, registered manager, deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers and the recruitment and learning co-ordinator. The NI is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

To gather information, we looked at a variety of records, including care records relating to five people using the service and four staff files. To ensure the provider and registered manager had oversight of the service we also looked at other information relating to the management of the service.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We received feedback from five professionals who regularly work with the service.

Updated 19 February 2020

About the service

Swan Care and Support – Colchester is a domiciliary care agency. The service provides a range of services to both younger and older adults’ enabling them to remain as independent as possible whilst living in their own home.

The service supported some people with long term care needs but specialised in providing short term care. The management team had worked in collaboration with local commissioning groups and hospitals to establish various pathways of care aimed at preventing prolonged or unnecessary hospital admissions by supporting people to remain living independently in their own homes. Staff supported people for a few of days or up to six weeks, depending on their needs. This meant the number of people using the service changed on a daily basis.

Not everyone using the service received a regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; this is 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

The service was dynamic and extremely innovative in their approach to care. This meant people received exceptional, individualised care and support that was responsive to their needs. The delivery of care was flexible and empowered people to make choices about how and where they received their care. We were told of occasions where the service had gone above and beyond what was expected of them. Professionals who worked closely with the service praised the service for its person-centred approach and the exceptional results it achieved for people.

People had confidence in the staff and felt safe in their care. Safeguarding practices were in place to protect from the risk of abuse. Staff took appropriate infection control measures and medicines were managed safely. There was an open and transparent culture in relation to accidents and incidents and appropriate action was taken to learn and lessen risks.

Staff were well supported by the provider and received enhanced training to develop the skills and knowledge required to meet people’s needs. Where appropriate staff supported people at meal times and encouraged them to remain hydrated during the day. Staff provided holistic care and had developed exceptional relationships with local health and social care professionals which ensured people’s health and well-being were prioritised.

People, relatives and professionals consistently described staff and the service as caring and kind. Staff knew people well and were committed to providing high-quality care. We heard examples of the positive impact the service had on peoples live by enabling them to remain in their homes and improve their independence. Everyone we spoke with told us they would happily recommend the service to others.

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.

The service responded to concerns or complaints and people and relatives were given the opportunity to feedback their experiences.

Staff felt valued and well supported by the registered manager and the provider. There was an open and transparent culture which empowered people and staff to voice their opinions and focused on continuous improvement.

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 30/11/2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

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.