Direct Link Care Ltd - Oxfordshire

Updated 30 April 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 and an Expert by Experience who made phone calls to relatives. 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.

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 48 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 14 March 2022 and ended on 17 March 2022. We visited the location’s office/service on 16 March 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it had registered with us. We sought feedback from professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager who is also the nominated individual. A nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included people's care records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service, including procedures and governance records.

After the inspection

We spoke with eight relatives of people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We also sought feedback from care staff and professionals who had knowledge of the service.

Updated 30 April 2022

About the service

Direct Link Care Ltd - Oxfordshire provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people using the service.

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

There were enough suitably trained staff to support people. Individual risks to people were considered and reviewed and changes made when needed. Medicines were managed in a safe way. There were procedures in place to protect people from potential harm. Infection control procedures were also followed.

People had access to health professionals when needed. People made choices about what they ate, their dietary needs were considered.

People were supported in a kind and caring way by staff that knew them well. They were happy with the support they received from staff. People's privacy and dignity was considered and maintained, and people were encouraged to make choices.

People's preferences, including their likes and dislikes, were considered, and they received support based on these needs. Peoples' communication was considered. There was a complaint policy in place.

Quality checks were completed throughout the service that identified areas of improvement. These improvements were made when needed. When things had gone wrong within the service lessons had been learnt. Staff felt supported and listened to by the registered manager and were able to make suggestions. They ensured they notified us of significant events that occurred in line with our requirements. Relatives spoke positively about the company and the support their relatives received.

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.

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 3 March 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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