Calderdale

Updated 1 June 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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and an 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.

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 the provider or registered manager would be able to support the inspection.

What we did before the 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 the registered manager, nominated individual and five care staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We spoke with three people receiving support and four relatives. We reviewed five people's care records. We reviewed records and audits relating to the management of the service. We asked the registered manager and nominated individual to send us documents before and after the on-site inspection. These were provided in a timely manner and this evidence was included as part of our inspection.

Updated 1 June 2022

About the service

Equal Care Co-op is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of inspection, the service was providing personal care to 15 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 felt safe and staff knew what to do if they thought people were at risk. Staff managed people’s medication safely. Staff recruitment processes were robust and staffing levels ensured peoples’ needs were met. The provider followed current infection prevention and control guidance.

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’s needs were assessed holistically, and staff were trained to provide support whilst promoting independence. Staff made appropriate referrals to external healthcare services and the provider worked with other agencies to provide bespoke packages of care.

Feedback we received from people who used the service and their relatives was complimentary about staff. People were involved in decisions about their support and the provider had innovative ways of engaging with people whilst maintaining dignity and respect.

The provider promoted relationship centred approaches in contrast to person centred approaches and was responsive to changing need. People were happy with their support and felt they could talk to staff if they had concerns. The provider had systems in place to learn from issues as they arose.

The provider was open and honest in its approach to supporting people. The registered manager led by example and was in regular contact with people receiving support to ensure they received regular feedback on the quality of care provided.

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 8 April 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.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

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