Archived: Home Carers Liverpool

Updated 18 May 2021

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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and one 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 houses and flats.

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 short notice of the inspection. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic we were mindful of the amount of time the inspector was on site. Therefore, records and documentation were requested before and following the site visit and were reviewed remotely. Inspection activity began on 15 April and ended on 20 April 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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-

Due to the risks of Covid-19, we did not make home visits to people who used the service. Instead, we sought feedback from people, their relatives and members of staff by telephone. We spoke with three people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with two members of staff, the nominated individual and registered manager. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed a range of records,

including three care and medicine records, continuity, and reliability records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection –

We continued to seek information from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 18 May 2021

About the service

Starcare Merseyside is a domiciliary care service. At the time of the inspection 34 people received support from the service, with 34 of those receiving personal care. The CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is to 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

Some people told us they did not always know which staff would be attending, as there had been a lot of different carers specifically in January 2021. The registered manager explained that factors such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had, at times, impacted on staff absence which in turn had affected continuity on occasion.

People received their medicines from trained and competent staff. We have made a recommendation that the registered manager reviews systems in place, to ensure there is a consistent approach to medicines audits, although findings were identified the issues continued and were noted within the inspection. The registered manager took immediate action to address this.

Procedures were in place to protect people from abuse and people told us they felt safe with the staff who supported them. Staff were aware of the procedures to follow to prevent and control the spread of infection and received specific guidance about the COVID-19 pandemic. Risks associated with individual's needs were assessed and regularly reviewed with measures in place to mitigate these.

Recruitment procedures were safe.

People were treated with dignity and respect. People told us that staff were “Brilliant, nothing too much trouble” and "polite."

Each person had a personalised care plan which was detailed, person-centred and included assessment of people's specific communication needs. We saw that people had been involved in planning their support.

People were aware of who to contact if they had any concerns.

People and relatives were positive about the culture of the service and staff. Staff felt supported in their roles. There were opportunities for people to provide their views of the service they received.

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 03/12/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service to ensure the services provided to people was safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care.