Unity Care Solutions (Maidstone)

Updated 22 September 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

One inspector carried out the on-site inspection and one inspector worked remotely and spoke by telephone with members of staff. An Expert by Experience made telephone calls to family members. 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 nursing and personal care to children and young people living in their own homes.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

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

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ 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 12 July 2022 and ended on 19 July 2022. We visited the location’s office on 12 July 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since its registration, including notifications of significant events. 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 of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, nurse case manager, a care co-ordinator and a nurse.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four children’s and young people's care plans and associated risk assessments and medicines 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 audits, satisfaction surveys and policies and procedures were also reviewed.

We spoke with eight families to hear their feedback about the care their children received from the agency. We spoke with three members of staff, reviewed feedback from healthcare professionals and also reviewed additional evidence in relation to the care people received and how the service was run.

Updated 22 September 2022

About the service

Unity Care Solutions (Maidstone) provides nursing and personal care to people living in their own homes. The agency was supporting 21 people at the time of our inspection, 19 of whom were children and two of whom were young adults. Many of the children and young people using the service had complex needs, including needs relating to breathing, eating, drinking, communication and epilepsy.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The service was consistently well-led. People were at the centre of their support and the focus of everything the service did. This approach was central to shaping the service being provided to each person. About the service

Unity Care Solutions (Maidstone) provides nursing and personal care to people living in their own homes. The agency was supporting 24 people at the time of our inspection, 22 of whom were children and two of whom were young adults. Many of the children and young people using the service had complex needs, including needs relating to breathing, eating, drinking, communication and epilepsy.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Families said staff provided care in a safe way, including when they used any equipment involved in their children's care. Risk assessments were carried out to identify and minimise risks involved in children and young people's care. Medicines were managed safely. Staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when they provided care and protected children and young people from the risk of infection.

Staff understood their responsibilities in protecting children and young people from abuse and knew how to report any concerns they had. The provider's recruitment procedures helped ensure only suitable staff were employed.

Staff had an induction when they started work and had the training they needed to carry out their roles. Staff were well-supported by the management team and had access to support and advice when they needed this, including through regular supervision. The clinical management team carried out regular spot checks to ensure staff were providing care in line with best practice.

Children's needs were assessed before they used the agency to ensure staff had the skills and training they needed to provide their care. When a team of suitable staff had been identified, they met with the clinical team to discuss how the package of care would be managed. Families and their children met the staff allocated to their care team prior to the start of the service to ensure a good match.

Staff monitored children's health effectively and took prompt action if they became unwell. Professionals told us staff worked collaboratively with them to ensure children's healthcare needs were met.

Children and young 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.

Families told us staff were kind and caring and said their children had established positive relationships with the staff who provided their care. Families said staff worked in partnership with them to ensure their children received the care they needed.

Staff supported children and young people to take part in activities, pursue their interests, and to be part of their community, including attending school. Staff respected children's and families' cultural and religious needs.

Families told us communication from the agency was good and said they were encouraged to give feedback about the care their children received. Complaints had been investigated appropriately and used as opportunities to improve the service.

The agency had an established management team with clear lines of responsibility. There were effective systems to monitor quality and safety, including audits of key areas of the service. The agency worked well with other professionals to ensure children received co-ordinated care which met their individual needs.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

The model of care being provided maximised children’s and young people's choice, control and independence.

Right care:

Children’s and young people's care was person-centred and promoted their dignity, privacy and human rights.

Right culture:

The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured children and young people led confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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 changed location and re-registered with us on 3 September 2019. This is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date the service was registered with us.

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.