Background to this inspection
Updated
25 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 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 two 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.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed the information we already held about this service. This included details of its registration, any notifications of serious incidents the provider had sent us and feedback we had received from the commissioning local authority. 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 took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager, managing director and the operations manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medicine records. We looked at four 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.
After the inspection
The day after the site visit we spoke by phone with a person who used the service, a relative of a person who used the service, and two care assistants.
Updated
25 September 2019
About the service
Bluelight Healthcare Recruitment Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing support with personal care to five people living in their own homes at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Medicines were checked by the registered manager but these checks were not recorded. Care plans and assessments did not cover needs related to equality and diversity issues. Spot checks carried out by senior staff were not recorded. We made recommendations about these three issues.
Systems were in place to protect people from abuse. Risk assessments had been carried out that included information about supporting people in a safe way. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and staff were punctual. Checks were carried out on prospective staff to test their suitability. Steps had been taken to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. There were procedures established for responding to accidents and incidents.
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. Assessments were carried out of people’s needs prior to the provision of care to ensure the service could meet those needs. Where people were supported with meal preparation they were able to make choices about what they ate and drank. Staff received training and support to help them in their role. The service worked with other agencies to meet people’s health care needs.
People were treated with dignity and respect and staff understood how to promote people’s independence. Systems were in place to protect people’s right to confidentiality.
Care plans were in place which set out how to support people in a personalised manner. People had control and choice over the care they received. The service met people’s communication needs. People knew how to make a complaint and complaints received had been dealt with appropriately. The service worked with other agencies to help support people with end of life care.
People and staff spoke positively about the registered manager and leadership team. Systems were in place for monitoring the service to promote improvements, some of which included seeking the views of people who used the service.
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 6 February 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on our current methodology of inspection scheduling.
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.