Unite Care Ltd

Updated 21 October 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 20 September 2022 and ended on 29 September 2022. We visited the location’s office on 20 September 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two relatives of people who used the service to help us understand the experience of people who could not speak with us. We also spoke with one person using the service. We spoke with the registered manager, one care coordinator and three care workers. We reviewed seven care records of people using the service, seven personnel files of care workers and other records about the management of the service.

Updated 21 October 2022

About the service

Unite Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own home. At the time of our inspection the service provided support to nine people. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive 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

People were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. There were effective systems and processes in place to minimise risks. Care workers had been recruited safely and they knew how to identify and report concerns. Risks in relation to providing support to people were assessed and plans to manage such risks were developed together with people who used the service. Medicines were managed safely. The service had processes to analyse trends and patterns of accidents and incidents to minimise the risk of such events happening again. 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 were involved in their care and the service had developed person centred care plans to manage and meet their care needs. People’s communication needs were assessed, and systems were in place to meet them. Concerns and complaints were listened to and actions were taken to learn from complaints and make improvements.

The service had a robust and effective quality assurance monitoring system to make ongoing improvements to the care people received. People told us that there was a very positive caring culture by care workers and the service. One relative told us, “The staff really go above and beyond and created a bond with my relative, they became part of our family.”

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update - The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 9 July 2021)

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and to assess if the service had made improvements since our last inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.