Updated 20 April 2022
We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.
Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.
Inspection team
The 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 homes.
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 a short period of notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be able to support the inspection and provide us with information we requested.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. 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 (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 of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection-
This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location's office. We used technology such as telephone calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation. Inspection activity started on 22 March 2022 and ended on 6 April 2022.
Due to people’s complex care and support we spoke with eight relatives about their experience of the care provided to their family members. We spoke with the four members of staff currently providing care, and the registered manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included the persons care records. We looked at files in relation to recruitment and training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.